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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. land — a country
  3. drill — a practice
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. land — to come down
  6. drill — army training
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. capital — a city
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. capital — money
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mug — to rob
  14. spell — a short time
  15. shower — to wash
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. land — ground
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. capital — a big letter

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