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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. dip — to sink
  3. hand — help
  4. last — to go on
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. last — finally
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. shower — to wash
  13. ground — crushed
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ground — a position
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. last — final
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. bear — the animal

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