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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — for sport
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. field — a subject
  12. spring — of water
  13. drill — army training
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spring — the season
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. drill — the tool
  19. field — farmland
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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