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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. last — final
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. shower — rain
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mate — a partner
  13. drill — army training
  14. rule — a law
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rule — government
  17. fall — the season
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bank — of a river
  21. last — to go on
  22. shower — to wash
  23. last — finally
  24. mate — a friend

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