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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. shower — rain
  3. object — an aim
  4. game — a match
  5. scale — in music
  6. row — to paddle
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rush — hurry
  9. object — a thing
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. object — to protest
  13. row — a line
  14. net — after costs
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. scale — size or range
  17. net — in sport
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. game — wild animals
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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