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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. row — a line
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fine — high quality
  9. game — a match
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. file — a document
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pit — a hole
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fine — all right
  19. hand — help
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. game — wild animals
  23. row — to paddle
  24. file — a tool

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