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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. scale — in music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bound — tied together
  6. hand — help
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. squash — the sport
  10. toast — bread
  11. hand — in cards
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bound — obliged
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stand — to bear
  16. scale — size or range
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bound — certain
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. scale — for weighing

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