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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. file — a tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. object — an aim
  5. ball — a dance
  6. land — to come down
  7. chip — for betting
  8. band — a music group
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. band — a ring
  11. chip — to eat
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. object — a thing
  14. rest — what's left
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. object — to protest
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. file — a document
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. rest — what's left
  24. file — a line of people

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