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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. march — music
  5. net — for catching
  6. march — the month
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wind — moving air
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. row — a line
  13. shower — to wash
  14. net — after costs
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. charge — in control
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. row — to paddle
  20. charge — a price
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. march — the month
  24. net — in sport

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