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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. track — a path
  3. file — a tool
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. mug — to rob
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bat — the animal
  8. track — a song
  9. rule — government
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wind — moving air
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rule — a law
  19. file — a document
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mug — a face

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