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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. hand — help
  3. net — for catching
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rock — music
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bear — the animal
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. capital — money
  13. bear — the animal
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. shower — rain
  18. capital — a city

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com