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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. object — to protest
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. staff — a stick
  5. squash — to crush
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. fine — all right
  9. object — a thing
  10. last — to go on
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. file — a line of people
  13. last — final
  14. staff — employees
  15. file — a document
  16. ball — a dance
  17. file — a tool
  18. fine — high quality
  19. last — finally
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. suit — clothes
  23. staff — employees
  24. object — an aim

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