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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 120 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: safe · race · shower · hand · scale · bore · cue · fall

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cue — a signal
  3. shower — rain
  4. hand — help
  5. cue — for pool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bore — to drill
  9. scale — size or range
  10. hand — in cards
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fall — the season
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bore — to tire
  18. scale — in music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. race — a contest

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