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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. shower — rain
  7. ground — a position
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cue — for pool
  14. foot — a measure
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. game — wild animals
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. game — a match
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cue — a hint
  24. sharp — with an edge

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