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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 120 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — to handle
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bat — the animal
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. shower — rain
  11. present — there
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. present — the time now
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. present — a gift

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