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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. present — there
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. season — in sport
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. present — a gift
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. season — of the year
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. present — the time now
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. safe — a strongbox

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