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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. staff — employees
  4. rash — a series
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. file — a line of people
  8. firm — steady
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. firm — a company
  13. file — a tool
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. present — a gift
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rash — hasty
  20. present — there
  21. wax — to grow
  22. firm — decided
  23. cold — an illness
  24. present — the time now

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