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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. file — a line of people
  3. track — a path
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wake — a trail
  15. track — a song
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bear — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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