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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. file — a tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wake — a trail
  6. club — for golf
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. file — a document
  11. rock — music
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. club — a group
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. club — for dancing
  18. wind — moving air
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. roll — a list

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