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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · bat · wake · shower · track · rest

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. track — a song
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wake — a trail
  6. track — a path
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rest — a break
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. present — the time now
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. present — there
  18. present — a gift

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