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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. file — a line of people
  4. shower — rain
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. file — a document
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. content — happy
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. key — in music
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. shower — to wash
  17. content — the amount
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. file — a tool
  23. wax — to grow
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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