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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stand — to bear
  8. track — to keep track
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. march — music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. track — a path
  17. march — the month
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. march — the month
  21. scale — in music
  22. track — a song
  23. shower — to wash
  24. scale — size or range

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