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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wound — an injury
  6. charge — in control
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. charge — a price
  9. deal — to handle
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. drill — a practice
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — the tool
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. spring — the season
  20. mug — a cup
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. charge — electricity
  24. drill — army training

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