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

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. file — a tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. court — of law
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. court — for sport
  12. file — a document
  13. court — of a king
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. rest — what's left
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rest — a break
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fine — all right
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. calf — a young animal

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