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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mine — for digging
  7. firm — decided
  8. row — a line
  9. file — a line of people
  10. firm — a company
  11. spring — of water
  12. club — for dancing
  13. file — a tool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. firm — steady
  22. row — to paddle
  23. spring — the season
  24. temple — a place of worship

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