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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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. scale — in music
  3. season — in sport
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spring — the season
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spring — of water
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. shower — rain
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. lie — to recline
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — to handle
  24. season — of the year

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