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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. file — a document
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. squash — to crush
  12. key — for a lock
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ball — a great time
  15. file — a line of people
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. ball — a dance
  21. season — of the year
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. season — in sport

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