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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. pit — a hole
  2. file — a document
  3. track — a song
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. file — a tool
  6. track — to keep track
  7. present — the time now
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pit — in a race
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. file — a line of people
  12. present — a gift
  13. shower — rain
  14. date — the fruit
  15. shower — to wash
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. track — a path
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. present — there
  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