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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. ball — a great time
  4. last — finally
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. shower — rain
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. last — to go on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. drill — the tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. drill — army training
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. last — final
  24. drill — a practice

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