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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. kid — child
  5. hand — in cards
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. race — humankind
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. suit — clothes
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. sharp — clever
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — in cards
  20. kid — to tease
  21. race — a contest
  22. lie — to recline
  23. race — the arms race
  24. hand — help

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