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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. can — to be able to
  3. shower — rain
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mark — a grade
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spell — letters
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mate — to breed
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — army training
  24. spell — magic

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