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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. last — finally
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. lean — to bend
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cap — a lid
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. staff — employees
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. staff — a stick
  13. last — to go on
  14. shower — rain
  15. lean — thin
  16. last — final
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cap — of ice
  21. shower — to wash
  22. staff — employees
  23. rush — hurry
  24. game — a match

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