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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pop — soda
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pop — music
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. scale — in music
  10. firm — a company
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. shower — rain
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cap — a lid
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. firm — decided
  21. snap — to click
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mine — for digging
  24. firm — steady

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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