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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. present — a gift
  4. drill — a practice
  5. suit — in cards
  6. last — final
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. degree — an amount
  9. present — there
  10. suit — clothes
  11. drill — army training
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. present — the time now
  16. degree — from a university
  17. last — finally
  18. drill — the tool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. suit — to fit
  24. last — to go on

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