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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rush — hurry
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pop — music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — to visit
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pop — soda
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rule — a law

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