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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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 — to wash
  2. rest — a break
  3. shower — rain
  4. fine — all right
  5. rest — what's left
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. content — happy
  10. file — a document
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pit — in a race
  20. file — a tool
  21. content — the amount
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fine — high quality
  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