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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pop — soda
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pit — in a race
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pop — music
  15. spell — letters
  16. shower — to wash
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spell — magic
  23. pop — to visit
  24. staff — a stick

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