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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. branch — a division
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. rule — government
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rash — hasty
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. swing — music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rule — a law
  20. rash — a series
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. file — a document

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