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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bore — to tire
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. scale — in music
  14. shower — to wash
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. game — wild animals
  24. scale — size or range

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