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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stock — shares
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rule — a law
  7. present — there
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. present — the time now
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rule — government
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stock — goods
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. file — a document
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. file — a tool
  24. present — a gift

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