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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. track — a path
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chest — of your body
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. pit — in a race
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. file — a tool
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. track — a song
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rock — a stone
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pit — a hole
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. present — a gift
  19. rock — music
  20. chest — a box
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. file — a document
  24. trunk — of a tree

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