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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. land — a country
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. field — farmland
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. field — a subject
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. field — for sport
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. land — ground
  16. spell — magic
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bulb — for light
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. land — to come down
  24. vault — a safe

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