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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. key — the most important part
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. deal — to handle
  7. file — a document
  8. key — for a lock
  9. track — to keep track
  10. snap — to click
  11. row — to paddle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. track — a song
  14. file — a tool
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. key — in music
  17. file — a line of people
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. track — a path
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. deal — an agreement

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