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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. file — a line of people
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rule — government
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. file — a tool
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rule — a law
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mate — a friend
  15. can — a tin
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. file — a document
  18. can — a tin
  19. row — to paddle
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. jam — in traffic

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