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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cap — a lid
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rash — a series
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bass — low music
  12. cap — a hat
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. shower — rain

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