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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fall — the season
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fall — to drop
  10. track — a song
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. scale — in music
  13. snap — to click
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fall — to drop
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. track — a path

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