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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. file — a line of people
  4. present — the time now
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. kid — child
  7. pound — a weight
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. present — there
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. file — a tool
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. shower — rain
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. present — a gift
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cell — a phone
  23. file — a document
  24. shower — to wash

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