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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a line of people
  3. can — a tin
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. field — a subject
  8. ball — a great time
  9. field — for sport
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. field — farmland
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. file — a tool
  18. ball — a dance
  19. file — a document
  20. mate — a friend
  21. can — to be able to
  22. mate — to breed
  23. can — a tin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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