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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 116 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's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. file — a tool
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bulb — for light
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. file — a document
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bulb — for light
  20. staff — employees
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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