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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. court — for sport
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. file — a tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. face — to point toward
  9. tear — to rip
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. face — part of the head
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. court — of law
  15. spell — a short time
  16. court — of a king
  17. tear — from crying
  18. branch — a division
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. face — to confront
  23. mark — a grade
  24. tear — from crying

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