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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. track — a song
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rest — a break
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. fine — high quality
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. chair — a leader
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. file — a document
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a tool
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in 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