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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. shower — rain
  3. spell — magic
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. spell — a short time
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. deal — to handle
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. shower — to wash
  18. dip — to sink
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. spell — letters
  21. fine — all right
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. leaves — of a tree

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