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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · shower · file · dip · charge · lie · straw · stick

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. charge — electricity
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. lie — to recline
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. dip — to sink
  12. charge — in control
  13. file — a tool
  14. game — wild animals
  15. file — a document
  16. shower — rain
  17. charge — a price
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. shower — to wash
  21. game — a match
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. lie — an untruth

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