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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mark — a trace
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ball — a great time
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. sharp — clever
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stock — goods
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stock — shares
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. sharp — exactly

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