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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cap — of ice
  3. present — the time now
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. row — to paddle
  6. spell — letters
  7. row — a line
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cap — a lid
  12. shower — rain
  13. present — there
  14. mine — for digging
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. shower — to wash
  18. present — a gift
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. spell — magic

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