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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ball — a great time
  8. staff — a stick
  9. ball — a dance
  10. staff — employees
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. staff — employees
  13. bore — to drill
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. file — a tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a document
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. file — a line of people

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