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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mug — a face
  3. fine — all right
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mug — to rob
  7. track — a song
  8. wake — a trail
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mate — a partner
  11. track — a path
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mate — to breed
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. scale — in music
  20. mug — a cup
  21. shower — rain
  22. track — to keep track
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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