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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cold — an illness
  7. club — a group
  8. kid — to tease
  9. suit — clothes
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. club — for dancing
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. suit — to fit
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. file — a document
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. file — a line of people
  19. club — for golf
  20. kid — child
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. suit — in cards
  24. file — a tool

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