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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pit — a hole
  4. file — a tool
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. staff — employees
  12. rule — government
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pit — in a race
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mate — to breed
  24. band — a music group

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