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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. last — final
  3. craft — boats
  4. last — finally
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. drill — the tool
  10. file — a tool
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. file — a document
  17. last — to go on
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. drill — army training
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. pound — a weight
  24. mine — belonging to me

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