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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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Word bank
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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. ball — a dance
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. swing — music
  8. rush — hurry
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. can — a tin
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. file — a tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. scale — in music

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