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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ball — a dance
  5. sharp — clever
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. ball — a great time
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. tube — a container
  12. file — a document
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mate — a partner
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mate — a friend
  18. file — a tool
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. tube — the underground
  24. fork — a garden tool

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