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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 124 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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bound — certain
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bound — obliged
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bound — tied together
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cell — in biology
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. file — a document
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. shower — to wash
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ruler — a monarch

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