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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. file — a document
  4. fine — all right
  5. ball — a dance
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. lean — thin
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. ball — a great time
  20. file — a tool
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wake — a trail
  24. lean — to rest against

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