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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. file — a document
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. file — a tool
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. dip — to sink
  11. track — a song
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — a law
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bulb — for light
  16. track — to keep track
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. track — a path
  20. rule — government
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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