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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. file — a tool
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. court — of law
  14. suit — to fit
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. shower — rain
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. court — of a king
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. court — for sport
  21. stem — to come from
  22. suit — clothes
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. suit — in cards

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