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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cap — a hat
  4. file — a tool
  5. field — for sport
  6. track — a path
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. field — a subject
  9. file — a line of people
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stand — to bear
  13. cap — a lid
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cap — of ice
  17. track — a song
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. kick — in football
  21. field — farmland
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. kick — a thrill

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