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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. kid — child
  3. shower — rain
  4. ground — crushed
  5. shower — to wash
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ground — a position
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. plane — a tool
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. kid — to tease
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. drill — army training
  22. ground — the earth
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. plane — in geometry

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