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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — a trace
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spell — a short time
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. shower — to wash
  11. row — a line
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. face — to confront
  16. spell — magic
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spell — letters
  20. race — a contest
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mark — a grade
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. face — to point toward

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