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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bass — the fish
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. game — a match
  6. net — after costs
  7. bound — obliged
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mate — a friend
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. net — for catching
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bound — certain
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bound — tied together
  22. net — in sport
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bass — low music

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