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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. last — final
  3. shower — rain
  4. drill — army training
  5. season — of the year
  6. last — finally
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. content — the amount
  10. pop — to visit
  11. drill — a practice
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pop — music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. content — happy
  19. last — to go on
  20. pop — soda
  21. sharp — clever
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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