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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bank — for money
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. file — a tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. spell — magic
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rule — a law
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. file — a document
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mug — a face
  14. rule — government
  15. bank — of a river
  16. spell — letters
  17. bank — for money
  18. hand — in cards
  19. spell — a short time
  20. hand — help
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mug — to rob
  24. file — a line of people

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