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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 124 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mine — for digging
  10. capital — money
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rush — hurry
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. capital — a city
  15. squash — the sport
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. foot — a measure
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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