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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. staff — a stick
  3. foot — a measure
  4. charge — a price
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. can — a tin
  7. face — part of the head
  8. charge — in control
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. face — to point toward
  11. file — a document
  12. fall — to drop
  13. staff — employees
  14. file — a tool
  15. face — to confront
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. staff — employees
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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