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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. staff — employees
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. can — a tin
  5. staff — employees
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. can — a tin
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. staff — a stick
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. degree — temperature
  24. can — to be able to

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