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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. last — final
  6. drill — the tool
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitch — completely
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chest — a box
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. last — finally
  20. shower — rain
  21. chest — of your body
  22. drill — army training
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bank — for money

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