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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mark — a trace
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. wind — moving air
  7. object — an aim
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. object — to protest
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. present — the time now
  12. mine — for digging
  13. present — there
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. object — a thing
  16. shower — to wash
  17. game — a match
  18. season — in sport
  19. present — a gift
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. shower — rain
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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