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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. file — a document
  8. bound — certain
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ground — crushed
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bear — the animal
  15. file — a line of people
  16. field — farmland
  17. ground — the earth
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. field — for sport
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ground — a position
  24. cold — not warm

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