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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 120 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. track — to keep track
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. file — a tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. saw — the tool
  12. band — a music group
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rock — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. track — a path
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. rock — a stone
  22. track — a song
  23. band — a ring
  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