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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 would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. object — to protest
  3. mate — to breed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. object — an aim
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pit — in a race
  16. file — a tool
  17. chip — for betting
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. object — a thing
  20. mate — a partner
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. file — a line of people
  24. chip — in a computer

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