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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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Word bank
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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. staff — employees
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mate — a friend
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. row — a line
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cell — in biology
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. staff — employees
  15. mate — to breed
  16. row — to paddle
  17. file — a document
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rock — music
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rock — a stone

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