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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — a match
  5. bore — to tire
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. game — wild animals
  13. track — a song
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. shower — to wash
  16. track — a path
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bore — to drill

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