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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. shower — rain
  5. land — to come down
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pop — soda
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pop — music
  15. shower — to wash
  16. land — ground
  17. pop — to visit
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pit — a hole
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. land — a country

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