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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rash — a series
  7. club — for dancing
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. spell — letters
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. rash — hasty
  12. toast — bread
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. kid — to tease
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. club — a group
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spell — magic
  23. kid — child
  24. club — for golf

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