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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. file — a document
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. shower — rain
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. lean — thin
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. lean — to bend
  16. shower — to wash
  17. capital — a city
  18. bear — the animal
  19. capital — money
  20. bear — the animal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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