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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 116 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. drill — army training
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. track — to keep track
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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