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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 124 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. shower — rain
  4. mine — for digging
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. ground — a position
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. scale — in music
  11. press — newspapers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ground — crushed
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. ground — the earth
  21. scale — size or range
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. mug — a face
  24. shower — to wash

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