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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. race — humankind
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. race — the arms race
  7. shower — to wash
  8. face — part of the head
  9. shower — rain
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. scale — in music
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pop — soda
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. scale — size or range
  19. face — to confront
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cue — for pool
  22. face — to point toward
  23. race — a contest
  24. pop — music

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