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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. ground — crushed
  3. scale — size or range
  4. present — a gift
  5. staff — employees
  6. scale — in music
  7. present — the time now
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. ground — the earth
  10. staff — employees
  11. race — the arms race
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. row — to paddle
  14. race — humankind
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. ground — a position
  17. shower — to wash
  18. race — a contest
  19. present — there
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. row — a line
  23. staff — a stick
  24. chair — a leader

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