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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rest — a break
  8. court — of law
  9. rest — what's left
  10. staff — employees
  11. court — of a king
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a tool
  14. chest — a box
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. staff — employees
  17. wake — a trail
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. file — a line of people
  21. court — for sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wound — an injury

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