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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · game · toast · file · rule · tear · row · jam

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. track — a song
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. row — a line
  7. game — a match
  8. track — to keep track
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. game — wild animals
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. tear — from crying
  17. file — a line of people
  18. toast — bread
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. track — a path
  21. tear — to rip
  22. row — to paddle
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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