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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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 line of people
  2. bear — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. file — a tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chest — a box
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. last — final
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bank — for money
  14. last — to go on
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bank — for money
  17. game — wild animals
  18. file — a document
  19. last — finally
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. game — a match
  23. temple — side of the head
  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