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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cap — of ice
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. file — a line of people
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. file — a tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. court — of a king
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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