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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. shower — rain
  7. rock — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pop — soda
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wake — before a funeral

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