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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. staff — employees
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. file — a document
  7. kid — child
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. shower — rain
  10. kid — to tease
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. staff — employees
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stock — goods
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pit — a hole
  20. file — a tool
  21. pit — in a race
  22. shower — to wash
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stock — shares

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