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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rock — music
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. object — a thing
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rock — a stone
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. file — a tool
  14. object — to protest
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. object — an aim
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. cap — a hat
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cap — of ice
  23. tear — from crying
  24. file — a line of people

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