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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bank — for money
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bank — for money
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rock — music
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. season — of the year
  20. pound — a weight
  21. season — in sport
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. file — a document
  24. pound — for dogs

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