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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bulb — for light
  6. file — a document
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. track — a path
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. file — a tool
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mark — a grade
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. track — a song
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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