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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. file — a document
  4. mate — a friend
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mate — to breed
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mate — a partner
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bark — to shout
  21. file — a line of people
  22. chest — a box
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bark — of a tree

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