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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. shower — rain
  4. land — a country
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pop — music
  9. rest — a break
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. land — to come down
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chest — of your body
  19. land — ground
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mine — for digging
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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