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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: bulb · rash · chair · hide · shower · straw · file · ruler

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bulb — for light
  6. file — a document
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rash — a series
  11. shower — rain
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chair — a leader
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. chair — a professorship

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