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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cold — not warm
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. file — a tool
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pass — a permit
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. file — a document
  22. foot — a measure
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. leaves — of a tree

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