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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fall — the season
  3. shower — rain
  4. fall — to drop
  5. file — a document
  6. rock — a stone
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. saw — the tool
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rock — music
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — to wash
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. fall — to drop
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. file — a tool
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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