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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wind — moving air
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. current — electric
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pit — a hole
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lie — to recline
  11. chair — a leader
  12. current — happening now
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pit — in a race
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. shower — to wash
  23. current — of water
  24. shower — rain

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