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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 120 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. file — a tool
  9. root — the cause
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mug — a cup
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — to rob
  16. staff — employees
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rest — a break
  19. staff — employees
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. root — of a word

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