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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. can — to be able to
  3. face — to confront
  4. track — a song
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to point toward
  10. club — a group
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. suit — clothes
  13. file — a line of people
  14. suit — in cards
  15. file — a document
  16. suit — to fit
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. club — for dancing
  20. face — part of the head
  21. track — to keep track
  22. file — a tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. club — for golf

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