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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bass — the fish
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. club — a group
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. file — a line of people
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a tool
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bass — low music
  15. roll — a list
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. roll — a cake
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. club — for golf
  24. file — a document

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