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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. net — after costs
  3. mark — a trace
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mark — a grade
  7. file — a document
  8. chest — of your body
  9. file — a tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. squash — the sport
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chest — a box
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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