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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. row — a line
  6. track — a song
  7. file — a tool
  8. mate — a partner
  9. track — to keep track
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mate — to breed
  12. row — to paddle
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — bread
  19. file — a document
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. rash — hasty
  23. track — a path
  24. ball — a great time

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