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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 120 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. last — finally
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rash — hasty
  10. last — to go on
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. march — music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rest — a break
  18. foot — a measure
  19. last — final
  20. shower — rain
  21. rash — a series
  22. rest — what's left
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. march — the month

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