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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. suit — to fit
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ball — a great time
  6. cue — for pool
  7. suit — in cards
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. ball — a dance
  15. suit — clothes
  16. track — to keep track
  17. file — a line of people
  18. track — a song
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. file — a document
  23. drill — army training
  24. net — for catching

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