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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. land — ground
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rash — hasty
  7. land — a country
  8. race — a contest
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. land — to come down
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — a series
  16. chest — a box
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. race — humankind
  22. lean — to bend
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lean — thin

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