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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 116 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
468
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: file · mine · mouse · capital · race · bass · bore · ball

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ball — a dance
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. capital — money
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. capital — a city

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