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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. present — the time now
  3. ground — a position
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. drill — a practice
  6. spell — a short time
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. spell — magic
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spell — letters
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. shower — to wash
  15. drill — the tool
  16. season — in sport
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. rush — hurry
  20. drill — army training
  21. shower — rain
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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