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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spell — letters
  9. file — a document
  10. spell — magic
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. spring — the season
  15. track — a song
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lie — to recline
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chest — a box
  20. spring — a coil
  21. track — to keep track
  22. spring — of water
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. track — a path

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