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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. can — a tin
  3. staff — employees
  4. saw — the tool
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — to protest
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a document
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. fine — all right
  14. object — a thing
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. can — a tin
  17. deal — to handle
  18. can — to be able to
  19. staff — employees
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. file — a line of people
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. file — a tool

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