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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. row — a line
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. file — a tool
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rock — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rash — hasty
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pop — to visit
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. row — to paddle
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pop — music
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. pop — soda
  21. lean — thin
  22. rash — a series
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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