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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fall — to drop
  4. file — a document
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rush — hurry
  10. track — a path
  11. present — there
  12. cold — not warm
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fall — to drop
  15. present — a gift
  16. squash — the sport
  17. track — a song
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. present — the time now
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fall — the season
  23. file — a tool
  24. rush — a thrill

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