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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
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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: press · file · nail · shower · straw · drill · lie · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. content — happy
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. press — to push
  4. shower — to wash
  5. drill — army training
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lie — to recline
  8. file — a line of people
  9. content — the amount
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. file — a document
  15. shower — rain
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. drill — a practice
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. file — a tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  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