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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. row — to paddle
  6. press — to push
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for golf
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. file — a document
  13. lie — to recline
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rash — a series
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. track — to keep track
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rash — hasty
  21. track — a song
  22. press — a publisher
  23. scale — in music
  24. track — a path

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