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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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pound — a weight
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — a country
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. squash — to crush

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