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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: ball · file · pop · saw · game · rule · can · squash

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rule — government
  4. game — a match
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rule — a law
  8. saw — the tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pop — soda
  12. file — a tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. saw — the tool
  16. can — to be able to
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pop — to visit
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. ball — a great time
  23. file — a document
  24. can — a tin

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