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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bass — low music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. firm — steady
  10. bass — the fish
  11. firm — decided
  12. dip — to sink
  13. saw — the tool
  14. firm — a company
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wake — a trail
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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