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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 120 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. track — a song
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. file — a tool
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bank — of a river
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bank — for money
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bulb — for light
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bank — for money
  21. cold — not warm
  22. track — to keep track
  23. file — a document
  24. track — a path

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