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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. lean — thin
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rock — music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cell — a phone
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pitch — completely
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. drill — a practice
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lean — to bend

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