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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. kick — in football
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a line of people
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. press — a publisher
  8. club — a group
  9. file — a tool
  10. club — for golf
  11. staff — a stick
  12. press — to push
  13. staff — employees
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. file — a document
  21. deal — to handle
  22. club — for dancing
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. press — newspapers

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