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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · shower · fall · lie · fine · rash · scale · object

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. object — a thing
  3. fall — the season
  4. scale — size or range
  5. object — an aim
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fall — to drop
  8. shower — rain
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. object — to protest
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fine — high quality
  15. scale — in music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. race — humankind
  18. fall — to drop
  19. race — the arms race
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. race — a contest
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rash — a series
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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