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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pit — in a race
  3. land — ground
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. land — to come down
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. sharp — clever
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rock — music
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pit — a hole
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. land — a country
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. file — a tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. file — a document
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. snap — to click
  23. rock — a stone
  24. plane — in geometry

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