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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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 — a meteor shower
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cap — a lid
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. swing — in golf
  7. shower — rain
  8. snap — to click
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. swing — music
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. net — for catching
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — in sport
  16. shower — to wash
  17. tube — a container
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tube — the underground
  22. net — after costs
  23. swing — to play on
  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