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

Word bank: bear · dip · rest · rule · mark · file

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rule — a law
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mark — a grade
  9. file — a tool
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rule — government
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. file — a document
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mark — a trace

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