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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: stick · racket · ball · mate · ground · file · present · cap

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. present — the time now
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mate — a friend
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. file — a line of people
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. file — a tool
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. file — a document
  18. ground — a position
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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