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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. track — a song
  13. kid — child
  14. file — a tool
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bark — to shout
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bulb — for light
  22. track — a path
  23. file — a document
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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