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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rock — a stone
  3. ground — crushed
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bound — certain
  6. chip — for betting
  7. file — a line of people
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. shower — rain
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. file — a tool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rock — music
  16. chip — to eat
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ground — the earth
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. ground — a position
  22. bound — obliged
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bound — tied together

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