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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. track — a song
  4. mug — a cup
  5. file — a document
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. kid — to tease
  8. roll — a list
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fine — high quality
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fine — all right
  14. file — a tool
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. track — to keep track
  17. kid — child
  18. track — a path
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. file — a line of people
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mug — a face
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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