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

Word bank: hand · staff · shower · pop · lie · race · cue · track

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a path
  4. staff — employees
  5. lie — to recline
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pop — to visit
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cue — a hint
  12. hand — help
  13. track — a song
  14. race — a contest
  15. staff — a stick
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. race — humankind
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cue — a signal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. hand — in cards

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