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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. present — a gift
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. present — there
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cold — not warm
  18. present — the time now
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pit — in a race
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cold — an illness
  23. net — after costs
  24. pit — a hole

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