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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. can — to be able to
  7. rule — a law
  8. shower — to wash
  9. can — a tin
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. can — a tin
  14. rule — government
  15. stand — to bear
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. shower — rain
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. racket — for tennis

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