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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · current · kick · chest · object · file · content · mate

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. chest — a box
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. file — a tool
  6. object — an aim
  7. mate — to breed
  8. kick — in football
  9. file — a document
  10. chest — of your body
  11. current — of water
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. current — electric
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. content — the amount
  17. chest — of your body
  18. current — happening now
  19. mate — a friend
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. content — happy
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mate — a partner

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