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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wind — moving air
  6. march — music
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mark — a grade
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. staff — employees
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. game — a match
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mark — a trace
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. plane — a tool

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