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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. staff — employees
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spell — magic
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fine — high quality
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. date — the fruit
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. file — a line of people
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fine — all right
  18. spell — a short time
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. squash — to crush
  21. spell — letters
  22. file — a document
  23. squash — the sport
  24. staff — employees

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