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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. suit — in cards
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. bulb — for light
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. file — a tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. shower — rain
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rash — hasty
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. suit — clothes
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rash — a series
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bat — in an idiom

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