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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. ball — a dance
  5. spell — magic
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. march — music
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. file — a tool
  12. object — an aim
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. march — the month
  15. pit — in a race
  16. ball — a great time
  17. file — a document
  18. march — the month
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pit — a hole
  24. racket — for tennis

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