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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. track — a path
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rush — hurry
  5. staff — employees
  6. cue — a hint
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cue — a signal
  9. last — final
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cue — for pool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bulb — for light
  14. staff — employees
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. last — finally
  17. staff — a stick
  18. file — a tool
  19. track — to keep track
  20. file — a document
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. track — a song
  24. last — to go on

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