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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. ground — crushed
  3. shower — rain
  4. swing — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. drill — army training
  7. cue — for pool
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ground — the earth
  12. drill — the tool
  13. row — a line
  14. ground — a position
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cue — a signal
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. shower — to wash
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. drill — a practice

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