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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 120 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 you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. hand — help
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. ball — a dance
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bulb — for light
  7. file — a line of people
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. court — of law
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bulb — for light
  17. face — to point toward
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. face — to confront
  21. rest — a break
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. file — a document
  24. ball — a great time

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