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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rash — a series
  10. wind — moving air
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pass — a permit
  17. ground — the earth
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. file — a tool

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