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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. spell — letters
  4. pound — a weight
  5. spring — a coil
  6. file — a tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bulb — for light
  9. drill — the tool
  10. spring — of water
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bulb — for light
  15. drill — a practice
  16. spring — the season
  17. spell — magic
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. drill — army training
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. cap — a hat

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