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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. last — to go on
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. last — finally
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. last — final

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