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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. file — a tool
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rest — a break
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ball — a dance
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. swing — to play on
  9. hand — in cards
  10. file — a line of people
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. swing — music
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. hand — help
  20. face — to confront
  21. file — a document
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rest — what's left

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