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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. band — a ring
  3. file — a tool
  4. track — a song
  5. spring — a coil
  6. shower — rain
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spring — of water
  9. rock — a stone
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. track — a path
  15. shower — to wash
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. file — a document
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. spring — the season
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. band — a music group
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rock — music

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