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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 124 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. craft — a skill
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. file — a tool
  10. spell — magic
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — for sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. spell — a short time
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. file — a document
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. spell — letters
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pitcher — a jug

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