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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. kid — to tease
  4. file — a line of people
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. mine — for digging
  8. file — a document
  9. track — a path
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. march — the month
  13. pitch — completely
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. march — the month
  17. file — a tool
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. kid — child
  22. march — music
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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