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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. object — a thing
  7. last — finally
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — music
  10. shower — rain
  11. last — final
  12. shower — to wash
  13. object — an aim
  14. last — to go on
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. ball — a dance
  19. object — to protest
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rock — a stone

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