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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pit — a hole
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bank — for money
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bank — of a river
  11. can — a tin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spring — the season
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. can — a tin
  16. spring — of water
  17. bank — for money
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. file — a document
  24. pit — in a race

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