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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. key — for a lock
  4. file — a tool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. key — in music
  8. club — for dancing
  9. object — an aim
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. key — the most important part
  14. club — a group
  15. season — in sport
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bear — the animal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bear — the animal
  20. object — a thing
  21. bat — the animal
  22. club — for golf
  23. season — of the year
  24. object — to protest

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