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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: lean · ball · shower · cabinet · lie · sharp · field · rest

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lie — to recline
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. shower — to wash
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. field — for sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. lean — thin
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. field — a subject
  21. lean — to bend
  22. field — farmland
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. sharp — with an edge

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