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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: cabinet · file · rule · ball · row · wound · club · bark

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. club — for golf
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a tool
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. row — a line
  14. wound — an injury
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — an injury
  18. file — a document
  19. row — to paddle
  20. club — a group
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rule — government
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rule — a law

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