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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. row — to paddle
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. file — a document
  5. shower — to wash
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. craft — boats
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. shower — rain
  10. mate — a partner
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cap — of ice
  16. row — a line
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cap — a lid
  19. craft — a skill
  20. mate — to breed
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. snap — to click
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cap — a hat

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