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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. spell — magic
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lie — to recline
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. spell — letters
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cap — a hat
  13. file — a line of people
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. file — a document
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ball — a great time
  21. file — a tool
  22. shower — rain
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. tear — to rip

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