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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. track — a path
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rule — government
  6. file — a document
  7. band — a ring
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rule — a law
  11. track — a song
  12. mark — a grade
  13. date — the fruit
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. band — a music group
  16. mark — a trace
  17. sharp — clever
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. file — a line of people
  24. track — to keep track

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