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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. shower — to wash
  4. snap — to click
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. court — for sport
  8. suit — clothes
  9. ground — a position
  10. shower — rain
  11. object — to protest
  12. drill — the tool
  13. suit — to fit
  14. object — an aim
  15. ground — the earth
  16. drill — a practice
  17. court — of a king
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mine — for digging
  22. drill — army training
  23. suit — in cards
  24. court — of law

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