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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ground — the earth
  7. last — final
  8. ground — a position
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. snap — to click
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. last — finally
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mate — a partner
  18. chip — to eat
  19. drill — army training
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — to breed
  22. drill — a practice
  23. last — to go on
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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