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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. track — to keep track
  3. squash — to crush
  4. file — a document
  5. spell — letters
  6. file — a line of people
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. track — a song
  10. pound — a weight
  11. date — the fruit
  12. squash — the sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. file — a tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cell — a phone
  22. track — a path
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. coach — a trainer

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