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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chair — a leader
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. lie — to recline
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. shower — to wash
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. drill — army training
  18. scale — size or range
  19. foot — a measure
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. drill — the tool
  24. chair — a professorship

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