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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mark — a trace
  4. last — finally
  5. mark — a grade
  6. scale — size or range
  7. file — a tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. roll — a cake
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. file — a document
  14. chest — a box
  15. roll — a list
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chest — of your body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — final
  22. scale — in music
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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