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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 124 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. file — a tool
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. file — a line of people
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a document
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cell — a phone
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. ball — a dance
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. lie — to recline
  20. roll — a list
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. saw — the 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