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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. last — finally
  5. ground — the earth
  6. scale — size or range
  7. ground — a position
  8. scale — in music
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. file — a tool
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. last — to go on
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bank — of a river
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. last — final
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. scale — for weighing

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