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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. file — a document
  5. ball — a dance
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a line of people
  8. roll — a cake
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. ball — a great time
  12. drill — army training
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. file — a tool
  18. suit — in cards
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. suit — to fit
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. suit — clothes

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