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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. ball — a dance
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. content — the amount
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. lean — to bend
  17. content — happy
  18. sharp — clever
  19. scale — in music
  20. snap — to click
  21. lean — thin
  22. ball — a great time
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ball — a round shape

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