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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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. key — for a lock
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. key — in music
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. net — after costs
  17. file — a tool
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. net — for catching
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mug — a cup
  24. net — in sport

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