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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a tool
  3. ball — a dance
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mine — for digging
  7. spell — magic
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bass — low music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bass — the fish
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. spell — letters
  19. file — a document
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mine — an explosive

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