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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mate — a partner
  6. file — a line of people
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cap — a hat
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. cap — of ice
  16. dip — to sink
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. mate — a friend
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. file — a tool
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spell — letters
  24. wind — moving air

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