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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — to trim
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cap — a lid
  15. key — for a lock
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. key — in music
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. hand — help
  20. game — wild animals
  21. key — the most important part
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. prune — the fruit

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