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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. file — a document
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stand — to bear
  7. fine — all right
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — a series
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mug — a face
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. file — a tool
  18. mug — a cup
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. file — a line of people

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