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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ball — a dance
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cue — a hint
  7. ball — a great time
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hand — help

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