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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. drill — army training
  9. shower — to wash
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. drill — a practice
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. toast — bread
  21. shower — rain
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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