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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. chair — a leader
  3. kid — to tease
  4. spell — magic
  5. file — a document
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. shower — to wash
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rock — a stone
  11. vault — a safe
  12. file — a line of people
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. shower — rain
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. spell — letters
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rock — music
  23. spell — a short time
  24. kid — child

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