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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. chest — of your body
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. chest — a box
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. club — a group
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. club — for golf
  14. chest — of your body
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. content — happy
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. content — the amount
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bear — the animal

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