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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. ball — a great time
  3. file — a document
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — a grade
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. ball — a dance
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. field — farmland
  13. can — a tin
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. file — a tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. branch — a division
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. file — a line of people
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. can — to be able to
  24. ball — a round shape

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