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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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 tool
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. season — of the year
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mate — a friend
  11. file — a document
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — an injury
  18. season — in sport
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mate — a partner

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