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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. ball — a great time
  4. spring — a coil
  5. shower — to wash
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. game — wild animals
  9. shower — rain
  10. game — a match
  11. file — a tool
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a document
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. file — a line of people
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. game — a kind of play

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