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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. file — a tool
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rule — government
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — rain
  10. file — a document
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cell — in biology
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rule — a law
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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