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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. net — for catching
  3. track — to keep track
  4. club — for golf
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. file — a line of people
  7. spell — magic
  8. track — a path
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. craft — a skill
  13. tear — to rip
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. spell — letters
  17. net — in sport
  18. track — a song
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. net — after costs
  23. craft — boats
  24. file — a tool

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