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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bulb — for light
  3. land — ground
  4. row — a line
  5. season — of the year
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. file — a line of people
  15. hand — in cards
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. sharp — clever
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. file — a tool
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bear — to put up with

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