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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cap — of ice
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rock — music
  5. fall — the season
  6. rock — a stone
  7. staff — employees
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. shower — rain
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fall — to drop
  15. shower — to wash
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. staff — employees
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pop — to visit
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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