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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. shower — rain
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mark — a trace
  21. file — a tool
  22. shower — to wash
  23. file — a document
  24. chest — of your body

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