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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. chest — a box
  3. swing — to play on
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. chest — of your body
  6. swing — music
  7. game — a match
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. swing — in golf
  11. prune — to trim
  12. shower — to wash
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — a cake
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chest — of your body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. deal — to handle
  22. game — wild animals
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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