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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  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 document
  2. file — a tool
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rule — a law
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. net — in sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. net — for catching
  20. cold — an illness
  21. net — after costs
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rule — government
  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