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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. saw — the tool
  3. field — a subject
  4. shower — rain
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a document
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mark — a grade
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mark — a trace
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. field — for sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. season — of the year
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. season — in sport
  21. scale — in music
  22. field — farmland
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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