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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mate — to breed
  4. file — a tool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ball — a dance
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. tear — to rip
  14. file — a document
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — in music
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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