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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 120 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 ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stand — to bear
  4. file — a line of people
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rush — hurry
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pit — in a race
  10. file — a document
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. hand — help
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. fork — in a road
  22. mate — to breed
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pit — a hole

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