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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. scale — in music
  3. file — a tool
  4. mate — to breed
  5. suit — to fit
  6. snap — to click
  7. shower — rain
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wind — moving air
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. file — a document
  13. mate — a partner
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — to wash
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mate — a friend
  22. suit — clothes
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wind — moving air

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