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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. scale — in music
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rush — hurry
  11. land — a country
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pop — music
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. land — to come down
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. land — ground

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