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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. shower — rain
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. tube — a container
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — to wash
  12. drill — army training
  13. pound — a weight
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. drill — the tool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wind — moving air
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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