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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. key — in music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cold — an illness
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. tube — a container
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bass — the fish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bass — low music
  19. file — a document
  20. key — the most important part
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cold — not warm
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tear — from crying

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