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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 124 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. kid — child
  3. rush — hurry
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. present — the time now
  10. object — an aim
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. object — a thing
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rock — music
  18. present — a gift
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. shower — rain
  22. can — to be able to
  23. object — to protest
  24. present — there

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