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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pop — soda
  4. court — for sport
  5. shower — rain
  6. staff — employees
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pop — to visit
  9. court — of law
  10. scale — in music
  11. court — of a king
  12. pop — music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. staff — employees
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fan — a supporter

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