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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cap — a lid
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. charge — in control
  10. cap — a hat
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. charge — a price
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fine — all right
  16. charge — electricity
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wound — an injury
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. perch — the fish
  24. straw — dry grass

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