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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. shower — rain
  4. spell — magic
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. shower — to wash
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. spell — letters
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. dip — to sink
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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