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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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. mine — an explosive
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wound — an injury
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. row — a line
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. season — in sport
  18. chip — to eat
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. season — of the year
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wound — an injury

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