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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. object — to protest
  3. ball — a great time
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. row — a line
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. game — a match
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. game — wild animals
  18. current — of water
  19. object — a thing
  20. row — to paddle
  21. object — an aim
  22. ball — a dance
  23. deal — to handle
  24. game — a kind of play

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