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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. can — a tin
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rush — hurry
  15. hand — help
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. can — a tin
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. shower — rain
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rush — to hurry

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