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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. last — final
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pit — a hole
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. last — finally
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. cue — for pool
  16. file — a tool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. track — a song
  21. last — to go on
  22. cue — a hint
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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