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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wake — a trail
  7. firm — decided
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. foot — a measure
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. file — a tool
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bear — the animal
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. firm — steady
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cold — an illness
  22. file — a line of people
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. firm — a company

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