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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've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bulb — for light
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. season — in sport
  8. last — final
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. last — to go on
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pass — a permit
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. last — finally
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. game — wild animals
  21. kick — in football
  22. row — a line
  23. game — a match
  24. bulb — of a plant

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