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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.

Make a worksheet

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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mine — for digging
  3. game — a match
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mug — to rob
  6. file — a line of people
  7. cap — a lid
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mug — a face
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cap — of ice
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. game — wild animals
  21. branch — a division
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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