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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fine — high quality
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. tube — a container
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. season — of the year
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — in sport
  20. fine — all right
  21. hand — help
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bat — the animal

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