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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 120 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. club — for dancing
  5. squash — the sport
  6. shower — rain
  7. race — humankind
  8. club — a group
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bore — to drill
  12. club — for golf
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. race — the arms race
  17. scale — in music
  18. race — a contest
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. scale — size or range
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bore — to tire
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. squash — the vegetable

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