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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. file — a document
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. file — a line of people
  5. kick — in football
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rest — a break
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rest — what's left
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cell — a phone
  12. file — a tool
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. shower — rain
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cell — in biology
  24. kick — with a leg

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