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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 120 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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. file — a line of people
  4. game — wild animals
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. file — a tool
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bank — for money
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. deal — to handle
  14. file — a document
  15. track — a path
  16. bank — of a river
  17. land — a country
  18. bank — for money
  19. bulb — for light
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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