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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. game — a match
  6. snap — to click
  7. pop — to visit
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pop — music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pop — soda
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. game — wild animals
  23. toast — bread
  24. current — of water

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