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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lean — to bend
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. court — of law
  5. game — a match
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. court — for sport
  8. pop — music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. chest — of your body
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chest — of your body
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lean — thin
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chest — a box
  21. court — of a king
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. safe — out of danger

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