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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rock — a stone
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rock — music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. file — a tool
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. chest — a box
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bound — certain
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. rash — a series
  21. bound — obliged
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. file — a line of people

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