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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mate — a friend
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. file — a document
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. hand — help
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. rule — a law
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. file — a tool
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mate — a partner
  19. file — a line of people
  20. hand — in cards
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. dip — a sauce

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