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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. land — a country
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mark — a trace
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. land — to come down
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. file — a line of people
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. file — a document
  15. ball — a dance
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. land — ground
  22. mark — a grade
  23. ball — a great time
  24. stand — for spectators

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