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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fine — all right
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wake — a trail
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. degree — temperature
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fine — high quality
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rash — hasty
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. drill — army training
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. degree — from a university
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. drill — a practice
  24. dip — to dunk

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