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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. staff — employees
  3. spell — a short time
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. key — in music
  7. face — to confront
  8. key — for a lock
  9. dip — to sink
  10. key — the most important part
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. spell — magic
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. spell — letters
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. face — part of the head
  17. staff — a stick
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. staff — employees
  21. rush — hurry
  22. shower — rain
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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