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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. roll — a list
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. roll — a cake
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. shower — rain
  19. date — the fruit
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. ball — a dance
  24. date — on the calendar

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