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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 120 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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rash — a series
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bass — low music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pop — to visit
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. face — to confront
  13. bass — the fish
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. file — a tool
  18. foot — a measure
  19. fine — all right
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pop — soda
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pop — music

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