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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. file — a document
  3. fine — all right
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. present — a gift
  10. object — an aim
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pass — a permit
  15. present — there
  16. file — a tool
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. present — the time now
  22. file — a line of people
  23. object — a thing
  24. pass — to succeed

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