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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chest — of your body
  7. present — the time now
  8. kick — in football
  9. object — an aim
  10. rule — a law
  11. chest — of your body
  12. present — there
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. present — a gift
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chest — a box
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. file — a tool
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rule — government

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