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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mate — a partner
  7. file — a tool
  8. cap — of ice
  9. file — a document
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mate — a friend
  15. track — a song
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mug — a cup
  19. track — a path
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mug — a face

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