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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. squash — the sport
  11. charge — a price
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. charge — in control
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. shower — rain
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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