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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. file — a document
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — help
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. file — a tool
  12. shower — rain
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. file — a line of people
  15. shower — to wash
  16. hand — in cards
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bark — to shout
  21. can — to be able to
  22. squash — to crush
  23. can — a tin
  24. racket — for tennis

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