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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. court — of law
  4. saw — the tool
  5. last — to go on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — final
  8. club — a group
  9. last — finally
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. branch — a division
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — of a king
  19. club — for dancing
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. court — for sport
  22. club — for golf
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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