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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. track — to keep track
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. face — part of the head
  9. track — a path
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stand — to bear
  13. face — to confront
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. track — a song
  23. file — a tool
  24. cell — a phone

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