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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rock — a stone
  3. cap — a lid
  4. file — a document
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cap — a hat
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rock — music
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. rest — a break
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. file — a line of people
  16. chip — for betting
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rest — what's left
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. file — a tool
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cap — of ice

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