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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. track — to keep track
  5. present — there
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. track — a song
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. track — a path
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bore — to tire
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. kick — in football
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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