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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 124 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. charge — in control
  6. file — a tool
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bank — for money
  9. ball — a great time
  10. charge — a price
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bank — for money
  13. shower — rain
  14. file — a document
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. ball — a dance
  18. season — in sport
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bank — of a river

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