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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — a friend
  4. file — a tool
  5. court — of law
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ball — a great time
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. file — a document
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. court — for sport
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rest — a break
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mate — to breed
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rest — what's left

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