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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. file — a document
  5. scale — in music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bear — the animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. file — a tool
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. shower — to wash

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