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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. ground — crushed
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bound — tied together
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. file — a document
  10. track — a song
  11. file — a line of people
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. ground — a position
  19. track — to keep track
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. cue — for pool
  22. track — a path
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. ground — the earth

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