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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: straw · track · rule · march · lie · shower · game · rush

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. march — music
  3. game — wild animals
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. track — a path
  8. game — a match
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rule — a law
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. shower — to wash
  13. march — the month
  14. rush — hurry
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. track — a song
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. shower — rain
  24. lie — to recline

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