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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 · cue · object · bowl · tube · net · file · date

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. file — a tool
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. object — a thing
  5. net — in sport
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. object — an aim
  9. tube — a container
  10. file — a line of people
  11. tube — the underground
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. date — the fruit
  14. file — a document
  15. ball — a dance
  16. net — for catching
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cue — for pool
  19. net — after costs
  20. cue — a signal
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. object — to protest
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. ball — a great time

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