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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rash — a series
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rash — hasty
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. shower — rain
  12. vault — a safe
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wind — moving air
  15. shower — to wash
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rule — government
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. drill — army training
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — the tool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rule — a law

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