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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cell — in biology
  8. chip — to eat
  9. last — finally
  10. staff — employees
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. last — to go on
  14. chip — for betting
  15. staff — a stick
  16. last — final
  17. mine — for digging
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. shower — to wash
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. rush — hurry

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