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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fine — all right
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. court — of law
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. chip — for betting
  9. shower — rain
  10. court — of a king
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wound — an injury
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. shower — to wash
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. dip — to sink
  19. court — for sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fine — high quality
  24. chip — in a computer

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