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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. chest — a box
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. file — a tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. file — a document
  17. saw — the tool
  18. file — a line of people

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