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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. drill — army training
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bulb — for light
  11. drill — a practice
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mug — a cup
  20. file — a tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mug — a face
  24. bulb — of a plant

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