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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 116 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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. charge — a price
  7. tear — from crying
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. file — a line of people
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. tear — to rip
  15. track — a path
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. file — a document
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. season — in sport
  20. charge — electricity
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. charge — in control
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. track — a song

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