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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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Word bank
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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. season — in sport
  14. bass — low music
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kick — in football
  17. bass — the fish
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. ball — a dance
  20. season — of the year
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. sharp — exactly

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