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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. file — a tool
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. chip — to eat
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. land — to come down
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. chip — for betting
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bat — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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