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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. face — to point toward
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. capital — a city
  10. pound — a weight
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. face — to confront
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. capital — money
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stand — to bear
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pitch — completely
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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