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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. file — a document
  3. swing — in golf
  4. field — for sport
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. swing — music
  8. field — farmland
  9. tube — the underground
  10. face — to confront
  11. land — to come down
  12. object — to protest
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. face — part of the head
  16. tube — a container
  17. swing — to play on
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. file — a tool
  20. face — to point toward
  21. land — a country
  22. object — an aim
  23. land — ground
  24. field — a subject

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