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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. ground — a position
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — music
  6. face — to confront
  7. ground — the earth
  8. perch — the fish
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. perch — for a bird

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