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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. firm — decided
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. file — a tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. firm — a company
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mate — a partner
  18. perch — the fish
  19. file — a document
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mate — to breed
  22. firm — steady
  23. mate — a friend
  24. file — a line of people

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