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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 124 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. file — a line of people
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. game — wild animals
  5. file — a document
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. shower — to wash
  8. present — there
  9. pitch — completely
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. drill — the tool
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. vault — a safe
  18. game — a match
  19. drill — army training
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cap — a hat
  23. file — a tool
  24. drill — a practice

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