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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cold — an illness
  4. face — part of the head
  5. squash — to crush
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mate — to breed
  9. file — a document
  10. cold — not warm
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. face — to point toward
  13. staff — a stick
  14. charge — a price
  15. mate — a friend
  16. file — a line of people
  17. charge — in control
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. face — to confront
  20. staff — employees
  21. squash — the sport
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. staff — employees
  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