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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. degree — from a university
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rest — a break
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. band — a ring
  8. rest — what's left
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. band — a music group
  13. wind — moving air
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rest — what's left
  19. shower — to wash
  20. can — a tin
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. degree — an amount
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mouse — the animal

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