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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · file · object · swing · tear · last

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. swing — music
  4. last — to go on
  5. tear — to rip
  6. file — a document
  7. pit — in a race
  8. swing — in golf
  9. object — a thing
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pit — a hole
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. tear — from crying
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest

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