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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. drill — a practice
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. file — a line of people
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rest — a break
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. file — a document
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. drill — army training
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. file — a tool
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. dip — to sink

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