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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. sharp — clever
  3. tear — to rip
  4. shower — to wash
  5. tear — from crying
  6. press — to push
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rock — a stone
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. press — a publisher
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. press — newspapers
  15. track — a song
  16. tear — from crying
  17. perch — the fish
  18. track — a path
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. track — to keep track

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