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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. file — a document
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cap — a hat
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. staff — a stick
  9. file — a tool
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. staff — employees
  13. spell — a short time
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cap — of ice
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — moving air

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