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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cap — a lid
  4. shower — rain
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bore — to drill
  8. shower — to wash
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bore — to tire
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cap — of ice
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pound — a weight
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pound — for dogs

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