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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 116 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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fall — to drop
  3. track — a path
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. file — a tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. kid — child
  9. file — a document
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. staff — employees
  17. fall — to drop
  18. kid — to tease
  19. staff — a stick
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. staff — employees
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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