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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ball — a great time
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. file — a document
  8. pit — a hole
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. file — a line of people
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rule — a law
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. band — a music group
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pit — in a race
  18. ball — a dance
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rule — government
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. leaves — to go away

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