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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. file — a tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. present — there
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. file — a document
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. staff — employees
  10. cell — a phone
  11. file — a line of people
  12. present — a gift
  13. staff — a stick
  14. track — a path
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. present — the time now
  19. track — a song
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mine — for digging

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