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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. track — to keep track
  3. file — a document
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. deal — to handle
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. file — a tool
  12. track — a path
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cell — a phone
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cell — in biology
  18. track — a song
  19. shower — rain
  20. file — a line of people
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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