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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. racket — a loud noise
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. net — for catching
  11. band — a ring
  12. cap — of ice
  13. band — a music group
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cap — a lid
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cap — a hat
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. net — after costs
  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