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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. root — the cause
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. file — a document
  9. pit — a hole
  10. root — of a word
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. swing — music
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. swing — to play on
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — in golf
  20. root — of a plant
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. pit — in a race

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