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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pop — music
  4. present — the time now
  5. spring — of water
  6. present — a gift
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. land — ground
  10. file — a document
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pop — to visit
  16. present — there
  17. land — to come down
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. land — a country
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spring — the season
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pop — soda

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