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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. clip — to cut
  6. shower — to wash
  7. clip — for paper
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. staff — a stick
  21. clip — a video
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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