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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mate — a friend
  7. dip — to sink
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mate — a partner
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mate — to breed

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