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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ground — a position
  7. season — in sport
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bank — for money
  12. season — of the year
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. date — the fruit
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. ground — crushed
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. file — a tool
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. ground — the earth
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. file — a line of people

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