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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. shower — rain
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. foot — a measure
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. race — humankind
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. row — a line
  12. chip — to eat
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chip — for betting
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. race — the arms race
  19. sharp — clever
  20. race — a contest
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. shower — to wash
  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