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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wind — moving air
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. dip — to sink
  13. file — a tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wind — moving air
  20. game — a match
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. file — a document

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