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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. squash — to crush
  5. file — a tool
  6. cap — a lid
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cap — of ice
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rock — music
  11. file — a document
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ground — a position
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cap — a hat
  20. ground — the earth
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bear — the animal
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. scale — for weighing

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