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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rest — a break
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. track — to keep track
  5. file — a line of people
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rest — what's left
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. file — a tool
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. track — a song
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. track — a path
  14. rest — what's left
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. file — a document
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. sharp — clever
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. ball — a great time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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