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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pop — soda
  7. drill — a practice
  8. key — in music
  9. shower — rain
  10. drill — army training
  11. net — after costs
  12. drill — the tool
  13. key — the most important part
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pop — music
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. lie — to recline
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pop — to visit
  23. snap — to click
  24. ball — a great time

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