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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pop — soda
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. face — to confront
  12. pop — to visit
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bank — for money
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wound — an injury
  20. court — of law
  21. file — a document
  22. pop — music
  23. file — a tool
  24. bowl — a football final

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