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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. row — a line
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. file — a document
  4. row — to paddle
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rash — hasty
  7. court — for sport
  8. bound — certain
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. staff — employees
  11. rash — a series
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. court — of a king
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. court — of law
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. squash — the sport
  23. file — a tool
  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