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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. file — a tool
  6. pop — music
  7. file — a document
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pop — soda
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. kid — child
  18. rock — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. fall — the season
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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