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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. drill — the tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. file — a document
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. suit — in cards
  17. drill — a practice
  18. sharp — clever
  19. drill — army training
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. suit — clothes
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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