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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mine — for digging
  10. press — to push
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. dip — to sink
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mine — an explosive

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