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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. file — a tool
  4. field — farmland
  5. fine — high quality
  6. file — a document
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. field — for sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pass — a permit
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. field — a subject
  24. ball — a dance

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