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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. shower — rain
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. hand — in cards
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pound — a weight
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. snap — to click
  17. ball — a great time
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hand — help
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pound — for dogs

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