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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. deal — to handle
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. shower — rain
  6. rash — hasty
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rock — music
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. degree — temperature
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rash — a series
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. degree — from a university
  23. spring — the season
  24. rash — on the skin

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