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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. march — the month
  7. staff — employees
  8. shower — to wash
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. season — of the year
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. dip — to sink
  17. season — in sport
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. staff — employees
  21. bat — the animal
  22. staff — a stick
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. march — 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