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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. game — a match
  7. row — a line
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mate — a friend
  10. present — there
  11. row — to paddle
  12. file — a document
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mark — a grade
  15. present — a gift
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. file — a tool
  18. mark — a trace
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — the time now
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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