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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. suit — to fit
  3. stock — goods
  4. suit — in cards
  5. mate — to breed
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. shower — to wash
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stock — shares
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wound — an injury
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. suit — clothes
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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