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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ball — a dance
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stem — to come from
  8. track — a path
  9. ball — a great time
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. track — to keep track
  12. file — a document
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. file — a line of people
  23. row — a line
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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