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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 120 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 · face · shower · rush · present · chair · net · nail

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. present — there
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chair — a leader
  8. file — a tool
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. file — a line of people
  11. present — a gift
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. face — to confront
  18. present — the time now
  19. shower — rain
  20. file — a document
  21. rush — hurry
  22. net — for catching
  23. face — to point toward
  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