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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: bass · deal · wind · file · rule · pit · leaves · cap

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rule — government
  4. cap — of ice
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pit — in a race
  7. rule — a law
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cap — a lid
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bass — low music
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. file — a document
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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