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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. bank — for money
  2. shower — rain
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. object — to protest
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bank — of a river
  8. file — a tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. object — a thing
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. saw — the tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pit — a hole
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bank — for money
  19. file — a document
  20. shower — to wash
  21. object — an aim
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pit — in a race
  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