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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. shower — rain
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — letters
  6. cue — for pool
  7. track — a song
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. drill — army training
  11. track — a path
  12. rule — a law
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bass — low music
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spell — a short time
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cue — a hint
  20. spell — magic
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rule — government
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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