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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 120 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rock — music
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fork — in a road
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. staff — employees
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rock — a stone
  18. staff — a stick
  19. file — a document
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. staff — employees
  22. ground — the earth
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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