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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 116 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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. file — a document
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. file — a tool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. spell — magic
  10. squash — to crush
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. squash — the sport
  13. spell — letters
  14. plane — a tool
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. land — ground
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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