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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. court — for sport
  5. kid — child
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. drill — army training
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. court — of law
  13. season — of the year
  14. file — a tool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. drill — the tool
  17. court — of a king
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. file — a line of people
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. lie — to recline

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