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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fine — all right
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mate — a partner
  5. swing — music
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. swing — in golf
  11. file — a document
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mate — to breed
  14. file — a line of people
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. row — a line
  20. tube — a container
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ball — a great time
  24. row — to paddle

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