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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bulb — for light
  3. land — a country
  4. rock — music
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bulb — for light
  9. land — to come down
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. file — a tool
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. row — a line
  14. pitch — completely
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. land — ground
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. staff — employees

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