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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bank — for money
  4. file — a line of people
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. drill — the tool
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. saw — the tool
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bank — for money
  14. mark — a trace
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. drill — a practice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bank — of a river
  21. drill — army training
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mark — a grade
  24. file — a document

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