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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: game · pitcher · row · fan · calf · cap · nail · file

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. file — a document
  3. game — a match
  4. file — a line of people
  5. row — to paddle
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cap — a lid
  8. row — a line
  9. game — wild animals
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cap — of ice
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. file — a tool
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cap — a hat
  24. calf — a young 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