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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. file — a document
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mine — for digging
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. file — a tool
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ball — a great time

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