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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. scale — in music
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. scale — size or range
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. row — a line
  8. staff — a stick
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. net — in sport
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. net — after costs
  13. staff — employees
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. staff — employees
  16. shower — to wash
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mark — a trace
  19. net — for catching
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. row — to paddle

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