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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. court — of law
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. shower — rain
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. squash — the sport
  10. game — a match
  11. tear — from crying
  12. squash — to crush
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. drill — the tool
  17. shower — to wash
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. drill — army training
  20. season — of the year
  21. tear — to rip
  22. game — wild animals
  23. drill — a practice
  24. season — in sport

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