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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lean — thin
  5. file — a document
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. rule — government
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. file — a tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. file — a line of people
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rule — a law
  14. kid — to tease
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. season — in sport
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. kid — child
  21. season — of the year
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. lean — to bend

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