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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. game — wild animals
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. club — for golf
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. dip — to sink
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. game — a match
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. club — a group
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hand — in cards
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rush — to hurry

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