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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. land — a country
  3. rash — hasty
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. roll — a list
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bulb — for light
  11. shower — to wash
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. scale — size or range
  15. land — ground
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. dip — to sink
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rash — a series
  21. land — to come down
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. scale — in music

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