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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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. spring — of water
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. firm — a company
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. spring — the season
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. firm — steady
  12. cue — a hint
  13. spring — a coil
  14. file — a document
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. firm — decided
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cue — for pool

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