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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. rest — a break
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mug — a face
  6. bank — for money
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mug — to rob
  16. file — a document
  17. bank — for money
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. chip — for betting
  21. pass — a permit
  22. scale — in music
  23. bank — of a river
  24. chip — in a computer

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