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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. saw — the tool
  3. toast — bread
  4. file — a line of people
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. fine — all right
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. file — a tool
  13. pass — a permit
  14. fine — high quality
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — crushed
  17. roll — a cake
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. ground — a position
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. file — a document

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