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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bore — to tire
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rock — music
  6. ground — a position
  7. bore — to drill
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mate — to breed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mate — a friend
  12. scale — in music
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stand — to bear
  20. scale — size or range
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stand — on your feet

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