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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. game — a match
  3. cap — a hat
  4. file — a line of people
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. file — a document
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. track — a path
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cap — a lid
  16. land — a country
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. file — a tool
  22. land — ground
  23. bass — low music
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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