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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fine — all right
  7. file — a tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bat — the animal
  11. capital — money
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. capital — a city
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fine — high quality
  22. date — the fruit
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. file — a line of people

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