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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · lie · toast · shower · file · mouse · content · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. shower — to wash
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. file — a tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. foot — a measure
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. toast — bread
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. content — the amount
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. lie — to recline
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. content — happy
  24. file — a document

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