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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rush — hurry
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. file — a line of people
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. file — a tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. staff — a stick
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. spring — of water
  20. land — ground
  21. staff — employees
  22. spring — the season
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. saw — the tool

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