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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cue — for pool
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rest — a break
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wake — a trail
  11. ground — a position
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cue — a hint
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. row — a line
  24. mine — an explosive

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