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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 116 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. file — a tool
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. fine — all right
  6. fall — the season
  7. object — to protest
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. current — electric
  10. object — a thing
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. object — an aim
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fine — high quality
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. file — a document
  19. shower — to wash
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cold — an illness

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