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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. file — a document
  8. club — a group
  9. firm — decided
  10. game — a match
  11. firm — steady
  12. saw — the tool
  13. club — for dancing
  14. file — a tool
  15. club — for golf
  16. file — a line of people
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rock — a stone
  21. spell — letters
  22. firm — a company
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. game — a kind of play

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