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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · chair · file · fan · field · mouse · rush · bowl

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. field — a subject
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chair — a leader
  11. field — for sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. field — farmland
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. file — a tool
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ball — a dance
  23. file — a document
  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