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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pop — to visit
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. squash — to crush
  13. land — ground
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pop — music
  16. file — a tool
  17. pop — soda
  18. file — a line of people

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