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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cue — a signal
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. file — a document
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. hand — help
  15. present — a gift
  16. land — ground
  17. hand — in cards
  18. file — a tool

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