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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. rash — hasty
  7. file — a line of people
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rule — government
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ground — crushed
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rule — a law
  16. file — a tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. file — a document
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rash — a series
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. racket — for tennis

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