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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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wake — a trail
  8. game — a match
  9. staff — employees
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. game — wild animals
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. file — a tool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ball — a dance
  20. staff — employees
  21. ball — a great time
  22. mate — to breed
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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