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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. field — farmland
  3. mug — to rob
  4. spring — of water
  5. field — for sport
  6. file — a document
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rock — music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. squash — the sport
  13. hand — help
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mug — a face
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — the season
  18. file — a tool
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. field — a subject
  24. squash — the vegetable

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