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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. file — a document
  3. spell — magic
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pit — a hole
  6. lie — to recline
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bark — to shout
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pit — in a race
  14. fine — high quality
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. fine — all right
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. scale — in music
  23. file — a tool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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