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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. last — finally
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cell — a phone
  5. charge — electricity
  6. lean — thin
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bank — for money
  11. last — final
  12. charge — a price
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. charge — in control
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. hand — in cards
  18. last — to go on
  19. hand — help
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. scale — in music
  22. lean — to bend
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bank — for money

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