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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. file — a tool
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rule — a law
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. rule — government
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. file — a document
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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