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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wind — moving air
  4. staff — employees
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rash — a series
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. file — a tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. can — a tin
  15. rule — government
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rule — a law
  18. can — a tin
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. file — a document
  24. bear — the animal

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