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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. net — in sport
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. capital — a city
  13. hand — in cards
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rash — hasty
  17. hand — help
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. net — after costs
  20. shower — to wash
  21. net — for catching
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rash — a series
  24. capital — money

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