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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. drill — army training
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. file — a document
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. row — a line
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. file — a tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. temple — side of the head

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