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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. shower — rain
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. prune — to trim
  6. land — a country
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chair — a leader
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pop — soda
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. land — ground
  15. capital — money
  16. pop — music
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pop — to visit
  20. capital — a city
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chair — a professorship

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