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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bore — to tire
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. face — to confront
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. face — part of the head
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a dance
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bore — to drill
  23. file — a line of people
  24. nail — for a hammer

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