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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. dip — to sink
  8. charge — in control
  9. present — the time now
  10. last — to go on
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. charge — electricity
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. charge — a price
  16. mug — to rob
  17. present — there
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. shower — rain
  21. last — final
  22. sharp — clever
  23. last — finally
  24. present — a gift

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