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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 120 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ball — a great time
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. ball — a dance
  5. club — a group
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bark — to shout
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. net — in sport
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. club — for golf
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. net — for catching
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. row — to paddle
  22. file — a document
  23. net — after costs
  24. fine — high quality

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