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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. snap — to click
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. ground — a position
  8. mark — a grade
  9. file — a line of people
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. band — a ring
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. deal — to handle
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. track — to keep track
  21. file — a tool
  22. ground — crushed
  23. mark — a trace
  24. ground — the earth

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