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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. can — a tin
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. kid — child
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. file — a line of people
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. can — a tin
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pound — a weight
  15. can — to be able to
  16. file — a tool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. file — a document
  19. press — to push
  20. kid — to tease
  21. snap — to click
  22. press — a publisher
  23. shower — to wash
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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