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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pit — a hole
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. pit — in a race
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rash — a series

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