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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. lean — to bend
  6. file — a document
  7. fall — to drop
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rash — hasty
  10. deal — to handle
  11. file — a tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rash — a series
  14. drill — army training
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. file — a line of people
  21. drill — the tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fall — the season

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