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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. rash — a series
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. staff — employees
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. staff — employees
  11. content — happy
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mine — for digging
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rash — hasty
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. tube — a container
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. staff — a stick

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