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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wind — moving air
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. track — a song
  10. row — to paddle
  11. degree — temperature
  12. chest — of your body
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. chest — of your body
  16. degree — from a university
  17. net — in sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. track — a path
  21. shower — to wash
  22. degree — an amount
  23. chest — a box
  24. row — a line

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