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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.

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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: rush · chair · shower · lie · dip · file · bay · key

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. file — a document
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. chair — a leader
  13. key — in music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. rush — hurry
  17. file — a tool
  18. shower — rain
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. shower — to wash
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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