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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. shower — rain
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mate — to breed
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wake — a trail
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. snap — to click
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mate — a partner
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. net — after costs
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. net — in sport
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mate — a friend
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. net — for catching

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