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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. shower — rain
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bass — low music
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rest — what's left
  12. file — a document
  13. bass — the fish
  14. file — a tool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rash — a series
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rash — hasty

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