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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. degree — temperature
  5. sharp — clever
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. shower — rain
  9. can — a tin
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. spring — of water
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. shower — to wash
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. spring — the season
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. spring — a coil
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. degree — an amount
  20. can — to be able to
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. can — a tin
  24. degree — from a university

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