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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. drill — army training
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. drill — the tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. court — of law
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. drill — a practice
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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