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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spring — the season
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. track — a song
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kid — child
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. can — a tin
  14. bat — the animal
  15. spring — of water
  16. file — a tool
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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