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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cue — a hint
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bank — for money
  9. mine — for digging
  10. kick — in football
  11. bank — for money
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bank — of a river
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. cue — for pool
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cue — a signal
  24. file — a tool

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