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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rock — a stone
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pass — a permit
  8. shower — to wash
  9. file — a tool
  10. row — a line
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. file — a line of people
  14. squash — the sport
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rock — music
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. row — to paddle
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. squash — to crush
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. file — a document

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