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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lean — thin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. file — a tool
  10. land — ground
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. file — a document
  15. land — to come down
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. kid — child
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fork — in a road
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pass — a permit
  24. land — a country

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