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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. file — a line of people
  8. net — in sport
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. file — a tool
  24. bulb — for light

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