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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. row — to paddle
  3. tube — a container
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. shower — rain
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. land — to come down
  17. tube — the underground
  18. row — a line
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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