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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. file — a tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mine — for digging
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cell — in biology
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. file — a document
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rash — a series
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. staff — employees
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. dip — to dunk

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