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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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 document
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bass — low music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wind — moving air
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. capital — money
  15. bat — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. file — a tool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bass — the fish
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. craft — boats
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fine — all right

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