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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. swing — music
  5. foot — a measure
  6. fall — to drop
  7. file — a tool
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. swing — in golf
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pound — a weight
  17. fall — to drop
  18. swing — to play on
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. file — a document
  24. fall — the season

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