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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. season — of the year
  5. cap — a lid
  6. file — a line of people
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. firm — decided
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wake — a trail
  12. file — a tool
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — steady
  16. suit — in cards
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. shower — rain
  22. file — a document
  23. season — in sport
  24. suit — to fit

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