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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 120 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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. shower — to wash
  8. charge — electricity
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. race — the arms race
  11. charge — in control
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. charge — a price
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. content — videos and posts

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