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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. shower — rain
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chip — for betting
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pop — soda
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pop — to visit
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. chip — to eat
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. pop — music
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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