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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. ball — a dance
  12. content — happy
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. file — a line of people
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bulb — for light
  20. can — a tin
  21. bulb — for light
  22. file — a document
  23. bat — the animal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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