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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. club — for dancing
  3. season — in sport
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. staff — employees
  6. bear — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. kid — child
  10. bear — the animal
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. club — for golf
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kid — to tease
  16. shower — rain
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. tear — to rip
  19. staff — employees
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — of the year
  22. shower — to wash
  23. staff — a stick
  24. club — a group

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