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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mark — a grade
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. mark — a trace
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. file — a line of people
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. file — a document
  18. ball — a dance
  19. present — a gift
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. file — a tool
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. nail — on a finger

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