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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — of the year
  4. wake — a trail
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rest — what's left
  7. current — of water
  8. rest — a break
  9. current — electric
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. current — happening now
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pop — soda
  17. shower — rain
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mark — a grade
  21. season — in sport
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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