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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. file — a document
  4. ground — crushed
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rule — government
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ground — a position
  12. rule — a law
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. file — a tool
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. jam — in traffic

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