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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. file — a line of people
  3. lean — thin
  4. file — a tool
  5. roll — a list
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stock — shares
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stock — goods
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rash — a series
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. file — a document
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  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