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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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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: fork · bear · cap · pass · wake · kid · pit · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bear — the animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. kid — child
  17. cap — a hat
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fork — in a road
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fork — to eat with

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