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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. shower — rain
  4. can — to be able to
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. craft — boats
  7. hand — help
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. tube — a container
  12. cold — not warm
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — an illness
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. can — a tin
  23. craft — a skill
  24. shower — to wash

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