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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. club — for golf
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bulb — for light
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. club — a group
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. club — for dancing
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bore — to tire
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. shower — rain

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