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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fall — the season
  3. shower — to wash
  4. current — of water
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mug — a cup
  7. shower — rain
  8. club — a group
  9. spell — magic
  10. bear — the animal
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mug — to rob
  13. sharp — clever
  14. club — for golf
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. current — electric
  20. mug — a face
  21. current — happening now
  22. fall — to drop
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. spell — letters

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