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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. shower — rain
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. object — to protest
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. file — a tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. lean — thin
  10. pop — to visit
  11. track — to keep track
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. file — a document
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. object — a thing
  18. pop — soda
  19. track — a path
  20. pop — music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. object — an aim
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fall — to drop

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