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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. firm — decided
  4. shower — to wash
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — rain
  9. cold — not warm
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. firm — steady
  14. swing — in golf
  15. firm — a company
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cold — an illness
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. swing — music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. drill — a practice
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. tear — from crying

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