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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. present — there
  4. band — a music group
  5. present — the time now
  6. mine — for digging
  7. ball — a great time
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. hand — in cards
  10. band — a ring
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. dip — to sink
  13. present — a gift
  14. ball — a dance
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. file — a tool

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