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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. present — the time now
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. hand — help
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wake — a trail
  10. spring — a coil
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. cue — for pool
  15. present — a gift
  16. cue — a signal
  17. present — there
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cue — a hint

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