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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. rock — music
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. object — an aim
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. shower — rain
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — a match
  16. hand — help
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. sharp — clever
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rock — to move gently

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