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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. track — a path
  8. game — wild animals
  9. file — a document
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. file — a tool
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bulb — for light
  15. press — newspapers
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bulb — for light
  19. track — a song
  20. press — to push
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. press — a publisher
  24. track — to keep track

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