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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mug — to rob
  3. clip — a video
  4. court — of law
  5. shower — to wash
  6. court — of a king
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mug — a face
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rest — a break
  15. clip — for paper
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. spell — magic
  19. court — for sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rest — what's left

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