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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. file — a document
  3. net — in sport
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. file — a tool
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tear — to rip
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. file — a line of people
  12. net — after costs
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. hand — help
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. row — a line
  19. tear — from crying
  20. net — for catching
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mouse — 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