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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — in sport
  7. spell — magic
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stock — goods
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. file — a line of people
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. ball — a great time
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stock — shares
  20. shower — rain
  21. file — a document
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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