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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rush — hurry
  4. hand — in cards
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. hand — help
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rock — a stone
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ball — a dance
  17. shower — rain
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. sharp — clever

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