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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rush — hurry
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wind — moving air
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bat — the animal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. squash — the sport
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. shower — rain

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