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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: object · file · hand · toast · mug · mine · roll · ball

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. ball — a dance
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. object — a thing
  7. file — a tool
  8. ball — a great time
  9. roll — a list
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. mug — a face
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. hand — help
  18. mug — to rob
  19. hand — in cards
  20. toast — bread
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. object — to protest
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mug — a cup

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