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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. file — a document
  3. shower — rain
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spell — letters
  8. spring — a coil
  9. file — a tool
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. suit — clothes
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spring — of water
  16. suit — in cards
  17. spell — a short time
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. spell — magic
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. file — a line of people
  22. spring — the season
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bass — low music

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