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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. band — a ring
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. dip — to sink
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. band — a music group
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chip — to eat
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cold — not warm
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ball — a dance
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cold — an illness
  24. chip — for betting

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