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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rest — what's left
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. court — of a king
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. court — for sport
  12. key — in music
  13. file — a document
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bass — low music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. file — a tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. court — of law
  23. rest — a break
  24. key — the most important part

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