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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. club — for golf
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mark — a trace
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stem — to come from
  21. club — a group
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. club — for dancing

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