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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. lie — to recline
  3. ground — crushed
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rush — hurry
  18. track — a song
  19. shower — rain
  20. ground — a position
  21. game — a match
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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