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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. file — a document
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. court — for sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. court — of law
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. mate — a friend
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. file — a tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. file — a line of people
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. court — of a king

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