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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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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: file · field · chest · bay · fine · deal · rest · row

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fine — all right
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a document
  7. field — farmland
  8. rest — what's left
  9. row — to paddle
  10. field — a subject
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. chest — a box
  13. deal — to handle
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — for sport
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. row — a line
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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