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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. snap — to click
  3. file — a tool
  4. shower — to wash
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. spell — letters
  8. shower — rain
  9. row — to paddle
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. spell — a short time
  13. drill — the tool
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. spell — magic
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. saw — the tool
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. vault — a safe
  24. saw — the tool

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