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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pit — in a race
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cold — not warm
  5. file — a line of people
  6. current — happening now
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. file — a document
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. scale — in music
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. current — electric
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cold — an illness
  20. current — of water
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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