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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. charge — a price
  3. clip — for paper
  4. file — a tool
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. clip — a video
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. shower — to wash
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. file — a document
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pit — in a race
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. charge — in control
  24. clip — to cut

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