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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bound — certain
  5. file — a line of people
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. scale — size or range
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. scale — in music
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. capital — a city
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. file — a document
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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