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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. file — a document
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chest — of your body
  6. file — a tool
  7. bound — certain
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. capital — money
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. chest — a box
  17. bound — obliged
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bound — tied together
  22. capital — a city
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rush — hurry

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