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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 120 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. file — a tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wound — an injury
  7. key — in music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a line of people
  10. season — of the year
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. key — the most important part
  13. branch — a division
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — for a lock
  18. season — in sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cell — a phone
  24. ball — a great time

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