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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. file — a document
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rock — a stone
  8. lean — thin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chest — a box
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. squash — the sport
  15. lean — to bend
  16. file — a tool
  17. rock — music
  18. squash — to crush
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lean — to rest against
  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