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

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. file — a tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fall — to drop
  7. file — a line of people
  8. firm — decided
  9. shower — rain
  10. fall — the season
  11. firm — a company
  12. file — a document
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wind — moving air
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rest — a break
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. firm — steady

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