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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chip — to eat
  3. club — for dancing
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. club — for golf
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. club — a group
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. file — a tool
  13. band — a music group
  14. file — a document
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. track — a song
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. band — a ring
  22. chip — for betting
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. shower — to wash

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