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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cap — of ice
  5. land — a country
  6. game — wild animals
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rock — music
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. file — a tool
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. game — a match
  19. land — ground
  20. file — a document
  21. cap — a hat
  22. land — to come down
  23. rock — a stone
  24. foot — a measure

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