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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a document
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lean — thin
  13. swing — to play on
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rush — hurry
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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