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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. track — a path
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. track — a song
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bass — low music
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fine — all right
  10. last — final
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. club — a group
  16. track — to keep track
  17. last — finally
  18. fine — high quality
  19. last — to go on
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. club — for golf
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bass — the fish

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