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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. drill — army training
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. land — a country
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. sharp — clever
  10. can — a tin
  11. drill — a practice
  12. can — a tin
  13. spring — of water
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spring — a coil
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. can — to be able to
  18. file — a line of people
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. spring — the season
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. drill — 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