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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. firm — decided
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. game — a match
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. hand — help
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. firm — a company
  14. pit — in a race
  15. firm — steady
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pit — a hole
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bear — the animal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mine — belonging to me

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