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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. shower — rain
  2. ball — a dance
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fall — to drop
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fall — the season
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. stock — shares
  13. fall — to drop
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stock — goods
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. net — in sport
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tear — from crying
  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