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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. suit — in cards
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. file — a document
  6. club — a group
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. file — a tool
  9. court — of law
  10. suit — clothes
  11. last — to go on
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. court — of a king
  15. bulb — for light
  16. club — for golf
  17. last — final
  18. game — a match
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — wild animals
  21. last — finally
  22. bulb — for light
  23. club — for dancing
  24. court — for sport

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