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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. file — a line of people
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. suit — to fit
  8. file — a tool
  9. wake — a trail
  10. shower — to wash
  11. scale — in music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. clip — to cut
  16. file — a document
  17. suit — clothes
  18. clip — for paper
  19. suit — in cards
  20. scale — size or range
  21. clip — a video
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lie — an untruth
  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