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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cue — a hint
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. club — for golf
  7. shower — to wash
  8. clip — to cut
  9. club — a group
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. club — for dancing
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cue — for pool
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mouse — the animal

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