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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. season — of the year
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. season — in sport
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. file — a document
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. file — a tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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