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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. shower — rain
  6. land — ground
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cold — an illness
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. land — to come down
  21. mate — to breed
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. lie — to recline
  24. land — a country

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