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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · row · bulb · racket · game · file · leaves · mine

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. game — a match
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rash — hasty
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bulb — for light
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rash — a series
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. file — a document
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bulb — for light
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mine — for digging
  22. file — a tool
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rash — on the skin

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