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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. key — the most important part
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fall — the season
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. spring — of water
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lie — to recline
  21. shower — rain
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. lie — an untruth

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