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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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 — to put up with
  3. file — a tool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. file — a document
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. hand — help
  8. court — of law
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rash — a series
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. rash — hasty
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. hand — in cards
  24. court — of a king

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