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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. file — a line of people
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. can — to be able to
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. roll — a list
  8. bat — the animal
  9. dip — to sink
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. row — a line
  15. can — a tin
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bank — of a river
  18. can — a tin
  19. bank — for money
  20. row — to paddle
  21. file — a document
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. file — a tool

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