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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. fall — to drop
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. file — a line of people
  9. fall — the season
  10. rush — hurry
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rest — a break
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rest — what's left
  15. firm — steady
  16. roll — a cake
  17. firm — a company
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a list

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