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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. file — a document
  4. bark — to shout
  5. club — for dancing
  6. foot — a measure
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. squash — to crush
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. file — a tool
  14. squash — the sport
  15. club — a group
  16. swing — music
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. club — for golf
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pitch — completely
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bark — of a tree

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