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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cap — of ice
  4. hand — help
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cap — a lid
  11. drill — army training
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. drill — a practice
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cap — a hat
  22. hand — in cards
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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