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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. spring — a coil
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. file — a document
  7. date — the fruit
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. spring — of water
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. spring — the season
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rule — a law
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. field — a subject
  21. rule — government
  22. file — a tool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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