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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. mine — for digging
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. drill — a practice
  5. land — to come down
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. land — ground
  9. kick — in football
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. drill — army training
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. foot — a measure
  20. land — a country
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. deal — to handle
  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