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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 · mark · shower · drill · rock · face · toast · firm

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. hand — in cards
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mark — a grade
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rock — music
  7. firm — a company
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. firm — decided
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. drill — army training
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. toast — bread
  17. face — to point toward
  18. firm — steady
  19. shower — rain
  20. face — to confront
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rock — a stone
  23. drill — a practice
  24. hand — help

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