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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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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. rule — a law
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. file — a line of people
  8. game — wild animals
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pound — a weight
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mark — a grade
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. game — a match
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. spell — letters
  22. rule — government
  23. file — a document
  24. pound — to hit hard

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