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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. firm — steady
  4. rush — hurry
  5. spell — magic
  6. firm — decided
  7. spell — letters
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. firm — a company
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. game — a match
  16. net — after costs
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. spell — a short time
  19. net — in sport
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wake — a trail
  22. shower — to wash
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. net — for catching

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