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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. game — wild animals
  5. deal — to handle
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. track — to keep track
  8. stand — to bear
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bulb — for light
  12. track — a path
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bulb — for light
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bark — to shout
  19. track — a song
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. game — a match
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. file — a document

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