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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — completely
  6. date — the fruit
  7. kid — child
  8. rush — hurry
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. shower — to wash
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cold — not warm
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. shower — rain
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. kid — to tease
  24. charge — electricity

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