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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stand — to bear
  7. spring — the season
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. drill — army training
  10. club — a group
  11. lie — to recline
  12. tube — the underground
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cue — for pool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. club — for dancing
  18. tube — a container
  19. spring — of water
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. shower — rain
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. club — for golf

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