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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. charge — a price
  5. shower — rain
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — the fish
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. charge — electricity
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bass — low music
  20. charge — in control
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — to wash
  24. track — a song

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