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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mate — a partner
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mate — to breed
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mate — a friend
  9. net — after costs
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. shower — rain
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — for catching
  18. tear — from crying
  19. foot — a measure
  20. net — in sport
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. tear — from crying

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