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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rock — music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cap — a lid
  6. file — a tool
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. field — a subject
  11. pit — a hole
  12. field — farmland
  13. cap — a hat
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. cap — of ice
  17. field — for sport
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. file — a document
  23. pit — in a race
  24. nail — for a hammer

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