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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 120 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. band — a ring
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. file — a document
  6. rule — government
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cap — of ice
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. row — a line
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. band — a music group
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rule — a law
  24. row — to paddle

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