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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 124 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. file — a document
  3. object — to protest
  4. file — a tool
  5. object — an aim
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. shower — to wash
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. content — the amount
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. row — a line
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. kid — child
  23. content — happy
  24. row — to paddle

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