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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 120 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. squash — the sport
  8. object — an aim
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ground — a position
  11. foot — a measure
  12. object — to protest
  13. charge — in control
  14. bear — the animal
  15. charge — electricity
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. object — a thing
  18. shower — rain
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. squash — to crush
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. ground — the earth
  24. charge — a price

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