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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stand — to bear
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. drill — army training
  8. shower — rain
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rash — a series
  13. drill — a practice
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rash — hasty
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. pop — music
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pitcher — a jug

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