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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. kid — child
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — size or range
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. shower — to wash
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fall — the season
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. scale — in music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. kid — to tease
  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