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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ball — a great time
  4. chip — for betting
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. object — a thing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. file — a document
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. object — to protest
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. object — an aim
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. prune — to trim
  21. shower — rain
  22. chip — to eat
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bowl — to roll

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