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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. shower — rain
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. toast — bread
  13. mate — a friend
  14. band — a music group
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bank — of a river
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. band — a ring
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mate — to breed
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. hide — animal skin

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