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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.

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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mark — a trace
  4. file — a tool
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rule — government
  7. staff — a stick
  8. file — a document
  9. ball — a dance
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. staff — employees
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. ball — a great time
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pit — a hole
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. staff — employees
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mark — a grade
  21. root — of a word
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rule — a law

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