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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: mouse · ball · row · jam · field · file · mark · spell

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. file — a document
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. field — for sport
  10. mark — a grade
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. spell — magic
  15. mark — a trace
  16. spell — letters
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. row — to paddle
  20. file — a tool
  21. ball — a great time
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. row — a line

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