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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. file — a line of people
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rule — a law
  6. file — a document
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. spring — of water
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rule — government
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pit — in a race
  15. deal — to handle
  16. snap — to click
  17. file — a tool
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spring — the season
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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