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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: last · present · can · ball · fall · mug · root · file

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. last — final
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mug — to rob
  5. root — of a word
  6. mug — a cup
  7. ball — a dance
  8. mug — a face
  9. fall — to drop
  10. can — a tin
  11. fall — to drop
  12. last — to go on
  13. ball — a great time
  14. last — finally
  15. file — a tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. present — the time now
  18. root — of a plant
  19. present — there
  20. can — to be able to
  21. file — a line of people
  22. present — a gift
  23. root — the cause
  24. file — a document

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