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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rule — a law
  3. kick — in football
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. saw — the tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. court — for sport
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. file — a tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. file — a document

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