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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. shower — to wash
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. file — a document
  5. spring — the season
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. face — to point toward
  8. swing — in golf
  9. face — to confront
  10. rock — a stone
  11. swing — music
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rock — music
  14. file — a tool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stock — goods
  17. spring — of water
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. stock — shares
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. swing — to play on
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stock — a soup base

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