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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. scale — in music
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. file — a document
  7. bound — certain
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bound — obliged
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bat — the animal
  17. file — a tool
  18. rule — a law
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rule — government
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bear — the animal

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