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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spell — magic
  4. last — final
  5. mug — a face
  6. spell — letters
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mug — a cup
  11. last — to go on
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mug — to rob
  14. last — finally
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bound — obliged
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. vault — a safe
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mine — belonging to me

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