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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. file — a tool
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. lean — to bend
  6. file — a line of people
  7. club — for dancing
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. club — a group
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. craft — a skill
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lean — thin
  16. shower — rain
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. craft — boats
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ball — a great time
  22. file — a document
  23. club — for golf
  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