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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. track — to keep track
  3. season — of the year
  4. track — a song
  5. staff — employees
  6. can — to be able to
  7. last — finally
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. last — final
  10. can — a tin
  11. staff — employees
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. can — a tin
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. last — to go on
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. track — a path
  22. dip — to sink
  23. season — in sport
  24. dip — a sauce

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