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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. ball — a dance
  3. suit — to fit
  4. race — a contest
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. race — the arms race
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. net — for catching
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. suit — clothes
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. file — a document
  17. season — in sport
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. season — of the year
  21. file — a tool
  22. race — humankind
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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