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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mark — a trace
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. file — a tool
  8. ball — a dance
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. file — a document
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. perch — the fish
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. perch — for a bird

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