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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spell — magic
  4. file — a document
  5. hand — in cards
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bark — to shout
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. spell — letters
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. hand — help
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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