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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 that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mug — a face
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cap — of ice
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — hasty
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. rash — a series
  24. cap — a hat

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