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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spring — of water
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. tube — the underground
  7. snap — to click
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spring — a coil
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mug — a cup
  16. sharp — clever
  17. shower — rain
  18. spring — the season
  19. rock — music
  20. mug — a face
  21. rock — a stone
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mug — to rob
  24. tube — a container

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