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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mug — a cup
  4. craft — a skill
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mug — to rob
  7. press — a publisher
  8. craft — boats
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. ground — crushed
  14. track — a path
  15. mug — a face
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. ground — the earth
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ground — a position
  23. press — to push
  24. rush — to hurry

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