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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. can — to be able to
  3. shower — rain
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. land — to come down
  8. can — a tin
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cold — not warm
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. deal — to handle
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. can — a tin
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. shower — to wash
  22. land — a country
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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