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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. shower — rain
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. row — a line
  5. band — a music group
  6. shower — to wash
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mug — a face
  9. row — to paddle
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spell — magic
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rash — a series
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mug — to rob
  21. band — a ring
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. spell — letters
  24. ruler — for measuring

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