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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bank — for money
  4. bound — certain
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bound — tied together
  7. file — a tool
  8. face — to confront
  9. spring — of water
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bank — for money
  13. bound — obliged
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. spring — the season
  16. ground — a position
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. ground — crushed
  23. file — a document
  24. face — to point toward

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