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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. shower — rain
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. club — for golf
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bound — obliged
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. club — a group
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. can — a tin
  15. bound — tied together
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. can — a tin
  22. bound — certain
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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