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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: firm · snap · stick · shower · cold · season · mark · last

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. firm — steady
  10. snap — to click
  11. season — of the year
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. firm — a company
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mark — a trace
  17. last — final
  18. mark — a grade
  19. shower — to wash
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cold — an illness
  22. firm — decided
  23. season — in sport
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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