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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. shower — rain
  3. file — a tool
  4. shower — to wash
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rock — music
  12. spring — of water
  13. content — the amount
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lean — thin
  16. sharp — clever
  17. spring — the season
  18. content — happy
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rock — a stone
  23. file — a document
  24. lean — to bend

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