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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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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: fan · lie · file · pit · stick · mine · ruler · staff

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. staff — employees
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. file — a tool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pit — a hole
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pit — in a race
  22. file — a document
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lie — to recline

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