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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. hand — help
  5. fall — the season
  6. file — a line of people
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. staff — employees
  9. row — a line
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fall — to drop
  13. row — to paddle
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. hand — in cards
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. file — a tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — moving air

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