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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cold — an illness
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rule — a law
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stock — goods
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rule — government
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stock — shares
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cold — not warm
  23. spring — the season
  24. lie — to recline

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