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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pit — in a race
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pop — music
  13. shower — rain
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — from a university
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mug — to rob
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pit — a hole
  21. degree — an amount
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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