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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 124 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. snap — to click
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stand — to bear
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rash — a series
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. shower — rain
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. tube — a container

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