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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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Word bank
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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 · leaves · fine · file · mate · rush · squash · pitcher

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — a partner
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. squash — the sport
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fine — all right
  12. mate — a friend
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. file — a line of people
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. squash — to crush
  19. file — a document
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fine — high quality
  24. mate — to breed

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