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

Word bank: foot · mate · bay · pop · drill · wind · file · saw

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wind — moving air
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. pop — soda
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pop — music
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wind — moving air
  15. saw — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. file — a tool
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pop — to visit

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