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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. last — final
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. shower — rain
  8. suit — in cards
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. last — to go on
  12. suit — clothes
  13. prune — to trim
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. file — a tool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. last — finally
  19. suit — to fit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. shower — to wash
  24. sharp — clever

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