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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. foot — a measure
  3. drill — the tool
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mark — a trace
  6. date — the fruit
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. deal — to handle
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mark — a grade
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. drill — a practice
  16. shower — rain
  17. drill — army training
  18. row — a line
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. row — to paddle
  24. deal — a big deal

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