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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. club — a group
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. club — for dancing
  7. tube — the underground
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. sharp — clever
  10. file — a document
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bound — tied together
  13. tube — a container
  14. file — a tool
  15. perch — the fish
  16. kid — child
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bound — obliged
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bound — certain
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. club — for golf

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