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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. shower — to wash
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ground — a position
  7. drill — army training
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spring — of water
  13. drill — a practice
  14. season — of the year
  15. date — the fruit
  16. drill — the tool
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spell — letters
  23. spring — the season
  24. date — on the calendar

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