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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cue — for pool
  5. root — the cause
  6. rash — a series
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cue — a hint
  15. file — a document
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rash — hasty
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cold — not warm
  21. root — of a word
  22. bulb — for light
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cue — a signal

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