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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. root — the cause
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. file — a document
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. suit — clothes
  13. root — of a word
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bat — the animal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. suit — in cards
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. hand — help
  24. file — a line of people

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