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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: file · tear · object · suit · club · ground · cap · cold

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. file — a document
  3. tear — to rip
  4. suit — to fit
  5. file — a line of people
  6. object — a thing
  7. ground — a position
  8. club — for dancing
  9. object — an aim
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cap — a hat
  12. file — a tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. club — for golf
  15. object — to protest
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cold — an illness
  21. suit — in cards
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cold — not warm

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