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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. swing — music
  3. lean — to bend
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lean — thin
  6. can — a tin
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. shower — to wash
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pass — a permit
  14. mark — a trace
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. can — a tin
  17. spring — of water
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pass — to spend time

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