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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 116 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bass — the fish
  3. net — in sport
  4. file — a document
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. track — a song
  9. rest — what's left
  10. file — a tool
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rest — a break
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. bass — low music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. net — for catching
  18. track — a path
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. net — after costs
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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