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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. shower — rain
  4. suit — clothes
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. suit — to fit
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. current — of water
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bat — the animal
  20. hand — help
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. lie — an untruth

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