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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. ball — a dance
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. club — for golf
  7. lie — to recline
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ball — a great time
  12. band — a ring
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. file — a tool
  18. club — a group
  19. file — a document
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. band — a music group
  23. safe — out of danger
  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