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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. root — of a plant
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. root — the cause
  5. cold — not warm
  6. file — a document
  7. pass — a permit
  8. hand — help
  9. pop — music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. file — a line of people
  12. scale — in music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. root — of a word
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pop — soda
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. hand — in cards
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. saw — the 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