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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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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: pound · file · snap · calf · rule · season · shower · fork

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. season — in sport
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. file — a tool
  12. shower — to wash
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rule — government
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. season — of the year
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. file — a document
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. snap — to click

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