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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: shower · clip · temple · file · hand · pass · saw · chair

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chair — a leader
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. file — a document
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hand — in cards
  9. shower — rain
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. saw — the tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. clip — to cut
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pass — a permit
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. clip — a video
  23. file — a tool
  24. hand — help

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