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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 120 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. fine — high quality
  3. dip — to sink
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — obliged
  6. shower — rain
  7. row — a line
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fine — all right
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. drill — army training
  17. bound — certain
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bound — tied together
  24. row — a quarrel

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