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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. file — a tool
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — size or range
  8. root — of a plant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. swing — to play on
  11. file — a document
  12. root — the cause
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a word
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fall — the season
  21. file — a line of people
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. swing — music

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