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

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. file — a document
  4. lean — thin
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mine — for digging
  9. scale — in music
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. scale — size or range
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. file — a tool
  18. mine — belonging to me

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