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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. file — a tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. ground — a position
  8. rest — a break
  9. file — a line of people
  10. field — for sport
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wake — a trail
  15. field — a subject
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cap — a lid
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rule — government
  21. cap — a hat
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rule — a law
  24. field — farmland

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