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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pound — a weight
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mug — a cup
  8. row — a line
  9. fall — the season
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. shower — to wash
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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