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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. game — a match
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. capital — a city
  8. can — a tin
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. can — a tin
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. file — a document
  19. can — to be able to
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cue — for pool
  22. file — a tool
  23. capital — money
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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