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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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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: bay · chest · file · fine · rule · mouse · wind · wave

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rule — a law
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. file — a tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. file — a line of people
  14. chest — a box
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. rule — government
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wave — of the sea

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