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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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. squash — the sport
  4. track — a song
  5. cap — of ice
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cap — a lid
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cap — a hat
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mate — to breed
  14. lean — to bend
  15. file — a document
  16. mate — a friend
  17. date — the fruit
  18. track — to keep track
  19. lean — thin
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. track — a path
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mate — a partner

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