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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. ball — a dance
  3. present — a gift
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. roll — a cake
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. present — there
  9. club — a group
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. file — a line of people
  14. plane — a tool
  15. band — a ring
  16. present — the time now
  17. band — a music group
  18. club — for golf
  19. roll — a list
  20. ball — a great time
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. arm — part of the body

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