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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pit — a hole
  3. net — in sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pit — in a race
  7. capital — money
  8. net — after costs
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wake — a trail
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. file — a document
  21. capital — a city
  22. net — for catching
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fan — a supporter

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