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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. file — a document
  3. club — for dancing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ground — a position
  10. club — a group
  11. saw — the tool
  12. club — for golf
  13. ground — the earth
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. file — a tool
  18. ground — crushed

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