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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. shower — rain
  4. saw — the tool
  5. drill — the tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. scale — in music
  10. mate — to breed
  11. drill — a practice
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. deal — to handle
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. scale — size or range
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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