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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bear — the animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fine — high quality
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. file — a tool
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. file — a document
  16. bear — the animal
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fine — all right

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