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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. club — for golf
  3. dip — to sink
  4. ground — the earth
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. ground — a position
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mate — a friend
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. shower — rain
  13. club — a group
  14. scale — in music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — a partner
  17. scale — size or range
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mate — to breed
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. ground — crushed

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