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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — rain
  3. object — to protest
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. season — of the year
  7. cue — for pool
  8. snap — to click
  9. cue — a signal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. season — in sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. object — an aim
  14. saw — the tool
  15. object — a thing
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. row — to paddle
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. shower — to wash
  24. row — a line

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