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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 116 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: rest · fine · ground · file · pit · wound · wind · ruler

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ground — the earth
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pit — in a race
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fine — high quality
  10. file — a tool
  11. rest — a break
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. file — a document
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fine — all right
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wound — an injury

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