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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. ground — crushed
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pop — to visit
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fine — all right
  8. track — a song
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pop — music
  12. ground — a position
  13. pop — soda
  14. date — the fruit
  15. track — a path
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. file — a tool
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. file — a document
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fine — high quality
  24. date — on the calendar

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