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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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 line of people
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bass — the fish
  5. field — farmland
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bass — low music
  9. content — happy
  10. file — a tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. scale — in music
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. lie — to recline
  17. scale — size or range
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — a tool
  20. content — the amount
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. file — a document
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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