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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. file — a document
  5. march — the month
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. firm — steady
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. spell — letters
  13. file — a tool
  14. spell — magic
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. firm — a company
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. file — a line of people
  22. firm — decided
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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