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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. file — a document
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — for sport
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cell — a phone
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pit — a hole
  19. suit — clothes
  20. ball — a great time
  21. field — a subject
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. field — farmland

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