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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. present — the time now
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. present — a gift
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. object — a thing
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. object — an aim
  16. track — a song
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bat — the animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. deal — to handle
  22. present — there
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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