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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. dip — to sink
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rock — music
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. shower — rain
  8. rock — a stone
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. march — the month
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. spring — the season
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rash — a series
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. face — part of the head
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. face — to confront
  24. stand — to bear

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