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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: ruler · pitcher · racket · file · row · wind · ground · shower

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ground — the earth
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. row — a line
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. shower — rain
  13. ground — a position
  14. wind — moving air
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. racket — for tennis

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