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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wake — a trail
  4. file — a document
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. field — for sport
  7. shower — rain
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. file — a tool
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. field — a subject
  22. bark — to shout
  23. file — a line of people
  24. field — farmland

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