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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. bass — the instrument
  3. mug — a cup
  4. can — a tin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bass — the fish
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mug — to rob
  9. file — a tool
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. can — to be able to
  12. mug — a face
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bass — low music
  18. rash — a series
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. can — a tin
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pound — a weight
  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