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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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. club — a group
  3. rock — music
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. drill — the tool
  6. dip — to sink
  7. game — wild animals
  8. file — a document
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bank — for money
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bank — for money
  14. file — a line of people
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. club — for golf
  17. drill — a practice
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. drill — army training
  20. game — a match
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rock — a stone

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