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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. file — a tool
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. file — a document
  20. craft — boats
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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