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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ground — a position
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. clip — for paper
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rock — a stone
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. clip — to cut
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. clip — a video
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ground — crushed
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. temple — a place of worship

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