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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 124 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. game — wild animals
  3. file — a tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bound — tied together
  6. shower — rain
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bound — certain
  10. game — a match
  11. shower — to wash
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wind — moving air
  20. band — a ring
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. band — a music group
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wake — before a funeral

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