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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spell — a short time
  6. lie — to recline
  7. net — after costs
  8. file — a document
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. spell — magic
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spell — letters
  13. track — a song
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. track — to keep track
  16. net — in sport
  17. file — a tool
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. field — farmland
  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