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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. plane — a tool
  2. shower — to wash
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fall — the season
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. shower — rain
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — music
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. rule — government
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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