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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. can — a tin
  3. file — a tool
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. row — a line
  7. mug — a face
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mug — a cup
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. mug — to rob
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. file — a line of people
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. file — a document
  21. fine — all right
  22. can — to be able to
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fork — in a road

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