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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. land — to come down
  3. shower — rain
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. file — a line of people
  6. scale — size or range
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. file — a document
  9. scale — in music
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. land — ground
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. land — a country
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. shower — to wash
  17. firm — steady
  18. file — a tool
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. firm — decided
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lash — to lash out

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