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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lean — to bend
  7. shower — rain
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. march — music
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. lean — thin
  12. current — happening now
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. current — of water
  15. fork — in a road
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. shower — to wash
  24. current — electric

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