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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. track — a path
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. current — of water
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. current — happening now
  10. track — a song
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. file — a line of people
  14. ball — a dance
  15. lie — to recline
  16. current — electric
  17. track — to keep track
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. shower — rain
  24. ball — a round shape

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