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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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 document
  2. rock — music
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. track — to keep track
  8. file — a tool
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. season — of the year
  11. rock — a stone
  12. season — in sport
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mine — for digging
  16. file — a line of people
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. track — a path
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. track — a song

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