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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. craft — a skill
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wind — moving air
  11. craft — boats
  12. fork — in a road
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. file — a document
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. swing — music
  24. wind — moving air

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