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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.

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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: race · suit · rock · spell · mine · mate · file · ball

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. mate — a partner
  3. spell — magic
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mate — to breed
  6. spell — letters
  7. rock — music
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. race — a contest
  10. suit — clothes
  11. mate — a friend
  12. race — humankind
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. file — a document
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. suit — to fit
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rock — a stone
  24. race — the arms race

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