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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a document
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. game — a match
  5. rock — music
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. swing — to play on
  12. file — a tool
  13. game — wild animals
  14. swing — music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wake — a trail
  24. leaves — lets stay

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