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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. field — farmland
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. club — a group
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mate — to breed
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. field — a subject
  12. hand — help
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mate — a partner
  17. file — a document
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mate — a friend
  20. scale — in music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. club — for golf
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. scale — size or range

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