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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. shower — rain
  6. track — to keep track
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bat — the animal
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. track — a path
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. track — a song
  17. stand — to bear
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. coach — a trainer

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