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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. scale — in music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. row — to paddle
  6. object — to protest
  7. club — for golf
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. club — a group
  11. object — a thing
  12. face — to confront
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. scale — size or range
  15. row — a line
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. face — part of the head
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. club — for dancing
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. object — an aim
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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