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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cold — an illness
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. shower — to wash
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. roll — a list
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. present — there
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. present — the time now
  18. pound — a weight
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. dip — to sink
  22. present — a gift
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pound — to hit hard

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