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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. lie — to recline
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. scale — size or range
  7. file — a tool
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. file — a document
  15. band — a music group
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. scale — in music
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spell — magic
  23. band — a ring
  24. straw — a straw man

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