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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 116 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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. file — a line of people
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rock — music
  10. file — a document
  11. spell — letters
  12. file — a tool
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. spell — magic
  15. row — a line
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — a stone
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. kick — in football
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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