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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rash — hasty
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mine — for digging
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rash — a series
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. swing — in golf

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