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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: file · perch · racket · bound · shower · mug · cell · ruler

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cell — in biology
  5. file — a tool
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mug — a face
  8. file — a document
  9. bound — tied together
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bound — certain
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ruler — for measuring

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